Dragon Dance
by Dynasty Black
Summary: James came to Lemos Hold four Turns ago, with no prior history of ever being holden to anyone, and no known family. When he unwittingly Impresses a silver dragon at a hatching, he begins to discover abilities about himself that will make him question his existence. Might change the rating, depending on how the story develops.
1. Chapter 1

Experimenting with something new. Tell me what you think.

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Anne McCaffrey's work, except my interest in her stories.

**Chapter One**

Igen Weyr was never a grand place to be, especially since the weather there was almost always unbearable. In the summer the temperatures would rise to more than 100° F, though according to some of the inhabitants that lived there it felt hotter than that. Not many people dared to venture outside their weyrs or the lower caverns during this time, not even the dragons, despite preferring the heat on their skin. One of the weyrlings attributed such heat to "humidity", a word he learned during his younger days at Igen Hold far before becoming a dragon rider. Winter made living there somewhat easier; the heat was reduced to walking around weather, but not cold enough to have need for long clothing. Despite all of the weather hazards that the weyr endured, it still prospered in its own right, thanks to its weyrleaders over time.

The Weyr was well known for being isolated in the desert region of Pern, and at the beginning of the Seventh Pass it had a fighting wing of fewer than three hundred fliers and only two queens, Drennath and Pireth, the former being the senior queen and her rider being Weyrwoman, whose name was Elizabeth. Her weyrmate was bronze rider D'marcus, and his dragon's name was Gameth. Although D'marcus and Elizabeth were weyrleaders, their dragons were well past the age of any mating flight; Drennath hadn't risen to mate in over ten Turns, which explains why the weyr has less dragons than the other ones. Not that it would have mattered; she planned on sticking to Gameth for many Turns to come, and would allow no other bronze to fly her. Gameth, of course, was still able to fly and fight Thread, but anyone could see that he and his rider were becoming progressively slower, though they themselves were too stubborn to admit it. A bad scoring from a particularly nasty Threadfall, which traveled from D'marcus's right tricep to Gameth's right hind leg before they had enough time to go _between_, finally grounded them. D'marcus likened it to a battle scar that he proudly showed off, until he was informed by the Master Healer that he wasn't going to have full use of his arm again, because Thread tore through the muscles before he was able to go _between_ to get rid of it. And due to his age of being well over sixty Turns, his healing rate would take longer than that of a younger person, if it healed at all, so now strength in his right arm was reduced to handling things no heavier than a dinner plate. Gameth fared off better because his muscles were thicker, but the massive scar was deep enough to cause him to limp while walking. And with his rider only at half strength, there was no way that they would be able to fly Thread and perform the duties required of them efficiently.

This suited Elizabeth and Drennath well enough, since Elizabeth much preferred her weyrmate to be with her on the ground. She, too, was well past her vitality ages, being fifty-eight Turns. She loved her weyrmate dearly, and wanted no harm to come to him. After her years of flying Thread came to an end, she was more than happy to spend her time in the weyr or weyr bowl, performing duties reminiscent to that of a Headwoman. Other workers in the caverns, including Headwoman Janissa, who was close to her age, tried in vain to discourage her from moving about so much.

"I'm alright," she scolded them. "I may be too old to fly thread, but I'm not bedridden."

Drennath was almost as every bit a reflection of her rider; tough, brave, and always acting as a motherly figure to each dragon that came from her clutch, and poring over them when they came back from Threadfall with threadscores on their bodies. It sometimes got in the way of the healers who had to do their job of treating the threadscored riders and dragons, and only by an admonishing from Gameth, who informed her that the dragons were young and fit enough to recover fast enough to fly Thread again, did she back off...a little. She still scolded them about not being too careful. Though Drennath was well past her dragon ages as well, she still had the vitality of a young queen when it came to her children, and she was quite wizened beyond her years, even when she was young.

Pireth, and her young rider Alania, were transferred to Igen several seven-days before the next fall from Ista weyr, and at a good time. Pireth had just reached the growth to maturity and would be getting ready to fly soon, and Alania had just turned twenty-three Turns. Due to Drennath not being able to go on mating flights anymore because of her age, a younger one had to be brought in to replenish the dwindling dragon numbers. Alania was a little reluctant to go at first, since she had just gotten used to being at Ista and didn't like Igen's heat, but was finally convinced to go when she was told that she would have her own weyr, and she doesn't have to become Weyrwoman when her dragon flies, but she would still have to perform her duties as a queen rider. Drennath didn't mind passing on responsibility to a younger dragon; in fact, she even took Pireth under her wing (highly unusual for a dragon) and gave her the skinny on who was in the weyr, and whom she might have thought would have been a suitable dragon that could fly her, which sort of unsettled Pireth because she was used to making her own decisions. It turned out being a direct opposite choice from the old dragon. A young bronze, whose rider was nearly the same age as Alania, and whom Alania had her eye on as well, won the mating flight. Pireth treated the bronze as more of a sibling than a suitable mate before the flight, which annoyed the dragon occasionally, but she later admitted to treating him like that because she was afraid of her own growing feelings for him and was glad that it was him that flew her.

Pireth clutched later on in the following months, producing up to twenty-two eggs, including two queens eggs, which she guarded rather fervently. The weyr was ecstatic with excitement and wonder, as to how could a queen dragon lay two queen eggs in one clutch? This was certainly unusual for a queen dragon, especially for Igen, and immediately rumors began spreading about through the weyr and nearby hold. Some said it was the water the dragons drank; others said it was the altitude, or it could have been for the fact that since the queen and her rider came from a different climate, the adjustment to Igen's hot climate must have somehow messed with the dragon's body, but since it was close to winter time that one was shoved out the door. Word quickly got around to the other weyrs, and the Weyrleaders and Weyrwomen came from all around to see the spectacle. The rumors were quickly dissipated before their arrival so as to not raise any unnecessary questions. Candidates were searched right away, though there was some reluctance when they heard it was at Igen. Nevertheless, there were more than enough candidates searched throughout Pern to Impress any of the dragons. As the days grew closer to the hatching, D'marcus began to notice that there were more candidates and eggs than he had helpers for, and there were sure to be more people when the spectators arrived. Igen Hold would surely bring its drudges as well, but would that be enough? Just to make sure, he sent runners and dragons to the surrounding weyrs and holds to ask for help with their drudges at the hatching.

Lemos Hold, two days before Igen Weyr's hatching

"James! Hey, James! You done down there yet?!" a kitchen drudge called down to the cellar in Lemos Hold's back yard.

"Give me a second!" came the reply of a husky sounding male. A small _thump_ followed by a sharp exclamation rose out of the darkness of the cellar, then the soft sounds of boots on the steps which got closer to the dark entrance, and finally the one called James emerged from the depths of the cellar. Dark brown skinned with long black hair neatly plaited into locks and pulled to the back of his head by a band and heavily built, James was sort of an intimidating sight to behold. Resting on each shoulder was a cask of wine that were to go to Igen for the hatching, a feat that any of the other drudges at Lemos Hold would find impossible, where most of them struggled with just one. James wore the customary drudge's clothes of coveralls, except he didn't wear it over his torso. It was merely tied at the sleeves around his waist, so only his black, sleeveless undershirt showed. Like all the other drudges, though, he tucked the leggings into his boots so he wouldn't step on them. Standing at only five feet and six inches, his build contrasted his height greatly.

People have always questioned where James came from; he just kind of showed up at Lemos four Turns ago, with no prior history of being at any other hold or hall. He himself never figured out where he was from either, only knowing his name and age at eighteen when he arrived. Messages and riders were sent all over to the other holds, asking if they knew of him. There were little to no answers from any of the holds, halls, or weyrs, except a snippet of information from Telgar Weyr. The Headwoman there recognized him from the description provided by a messenger, but she never knew his name. He was only there for two seven-days, and then he was gone. Great help, sort of quiet, and didn't complain about anything. It was as if he'd been there for years, easily melding into the throng of workers and drudges. Due to the constant running around, there was no way to find out his name, and she told the messenger to thank him if he were seen again.

When he showed up at Lemos Hold, the Lord Holder Trisel took him in to give him refuge, since Threadfall was due any day then. He was very quiet at first, not easily recognized by anyone but polite enough to give his name if asked. It was noted at times that he would subconsciously straighten up objects or dust furniture if he were left unsupervised for too long. Large rooms in the hold that took four drudges two hours to clean was shortened to thirty minutes when he would help out. It was while he was helping a drudge with a heavy burden that Lord Trisel guessed that he's someone's drudge, since he never once mentioned where he came from, and how easily he got into the work load with the other drudges. The information he heard from Telgar convinced him that James was from some minor hold, having not belonged there either. James himself didn't remember much from before Telgar Weyr, just that he'd been traveling for a very long time, and not even sure why. Telgar was the first stop he made since traveling, but then he left again two seven-days later.

"I'm not even sure why," he told Lord Trisel. "I just knew that I had to go."

So four years later, after Trisel decided to make him part of the drudge staff (something James much preferred), James was still as hardworking as ever. He carried the two casks, which weren't very big but heavy enough to cause trouble walking for most individuals, to the awaiting carriage that would take the goods to Igen Weyr, a day's travel away from Lemos Hold.

"What took so long down there?" the drudge asked James as they walked to the carriage.

"Trisk kept poking me with her nose," James said, referring to the gold watch-wher and chuckling lightly. "She wanted me to scratch behind her eye ridges. I tell you, that watch-wher seems to have taking a liking to me."

He adjusted the casks on his shoulders so they wouldn't slip off and break on the ground, without slowing down or missing a step. He gently deposited the casks onto the back of the carriage while the driver looked on curiously. He looked around at the other drudges that were about the yard, straightening things up and just doing a general clean up, and then back at James, noticing how he was the darkest out of all the other drudges, but decided not to question the reason.

"You're the only one she responds to, aside from Lord Trisel since she's bonded to him," said the drudge, depositing the sack he was carrying onto the back of the carriage alongside the casks. James closed the door to the carriage and latched it, giving the driver a thumbs up and a wide grin to signify that everything going to Igen was all loaded up. The driver returned the gesture and, after checking to see that everything was secured, climbed to the front of the carriage, grabbed the reins, and urged the burdenbeasts forward out the back gate.

"She regards me as a curiosity, considering my disposition," James continued.

"Which is?"

"Look around at everyone else, then look at me." The drudge took a quick glance around, and it didn't take long for him to figure out what James meant.

"Oh," he said, looking back at James apologetically. "Sorry."

"No need to apologize, Pierre," James said. "It's nothing for me to be angry about." They began walking back towards the hold to finish their chores.

"Does she speak to you?" Pierre asked.

"...not typically. She just kind of gestures at me what she wants. She doesn't speak to me like she does to Lord Trisel. Not that watch-whers speak like dragons do, at any rate." James picked up a rake and began raking up leaves and foliage into a pile. Pierre grabbed an empty sack to help with the cleaning process.

"You ever thought about Impressing a dragon?" James asked as he scooped the debris into the bag.

Pierre thought for a few seconds. "I guess not," he said. "I've been a drudge for most of my life, so the thought never really crossed my mind. Now, riding one is a different story! I'd love to fly high in the sky on one, just to see what Pern looks like from that height!"

"Until you get taken _between_," James said, grinning as Pierre shuddered at the mention of the dark void that dragons go through to get to one place to another instantaneously. He'd heard enough stories about how there is no sense of feeling in _between_, and that it is deathly cold, colder than the coldest winter Pern has ever had. But it doesn't last very long, as long as the dragon has a clear image of their destination from their rider; as one person put it, 'it only lasts as long as it takes to cough three times'. There have been many dragons and riders over time that have been lost in _between_, either by accident or suicide, the latter because if the rider dies and the bond between them is lost, the dragon refuses to live without the rider, and vice versa if the dragon goes _between_ because it sustained too grave of an injury, in which case the rider usually takes their own life, not being able to live without their life partner.

Pierre pulled the drawstring on the sack to close it, and slung it over his shoulder. He began carrying it to the back of a shed where other sacks full of foliage that the other drudges collected rested against the shed wall. "What about you? Think you'll Impress one?" he asked James.

James shrugged. "Who's to say? Life's always full of surprises. I'd be content just having something to do."

"Not much of a thinker, are you?"

"When you've been a nomad your whole life, thinking is all you have to do." They began walking back to the hold.

Later that night at dinner time, everyone was talking and eating when the Lord Holder stood and commanded silence. Everyone instantly stopped talking and turned their attention to him.

"As most of you know, Igen's queen dragon, Pireth, had clutched recently and that any day now the eggs will hatch. Unfortunately, the weyr is short on staff to help with the hospitality of the candidates, their dragons, and the spectators. Therefore, they have asked holds, halls, and other weyrs if they could spare two or three drudges to help with provisions, including from our hold."

Everyone immediately broke out into soft murmurs. Some, filled with excitement about witnessing a hatching; others, a little dismayed that it was at Igen. James, slowly chewing on a piece of sweet roll, rose an eyebrow. He looked at Pierre sitting across from him, who gave a small shrug.

"Now, I know any of you would not like to go to Igen because of the temperature there," Lord Trisel continued, voicing everyone's concern. "I don't like the place myself, but it's close to winter time now, so the temperature there is tolerable. And since the eggs are set to hatch a few days from now, you won't be there for very long. I already have the three names that I think would be a great help at the hatching." He looked at James.

"James, you're obviously my first choice. You've been a great help to the hold for the past four Turns, and I believe you'll be a great help for this special event as well."

James stopped chewing and looked at the Lord Holder, slightly perplexed. He didn't really expect to go to any big event short of a Gather. But to be a witness to a hatching, even helping out the candidates who Impress a dragon! What a surprise! Even if it were at Igen Weyr, it was still something to witness. He looked at Pierre, who put on a wild grin and gave him a thumbs up. He returned the thumbs up with a sheepish grin, and listened on as the Lord Holder named off two other drudges, and explained to them what to expect to help with.

"Are you sure it's a good idea to send James to the hatching?" Lord Trisel's wife, Lady Cissa, asked him as they laid in bed and prepared to go to sleep.

"Why not?" Lord Trisel asked. "You see how hard he works around here."

_Don't I ever_, she thought, wistfully. She'd had one too many unwitting fantasies of this supposed 'mere drudge', which to her eyes didn't look like a drudge at all, even when he first showed up at Lemos Hold. He was too well built, too well-mannered, as if he took extra care of himself to not have a drudge's look. On more than one occasion, she would see him through her window hard at work, lifting heavy objects with his shirt off and showing his muscles.

"You know what I mean," she continued, banishing the thought. "What are you really sending him there for?"

"I really do think he'll be a great help there," he said after a few seconds. "But I also think someone would recognize him there. A family member, or a Craftsman maybe. I still wonder about his past. Perhaps this will be a step to figuring that out."

"And if no one acknowledges him, will he come back here?"

"Of course! He's already a part of us, so why not?"

"True," she said, grinning. "Amazing. Out of all the Gathers we've had over the past four Turns, no one recognized anything about him."

"We'll just have to keep searching until we find someone that does." He leaned over to kiss his wife, and they both snuggled into the furs to get some sleep.

"Wow!" Pierre breathed. "You get to be a witness to a hatching!"

"I suppose..." James said, slightly put out.

"What's wrong?" Pierre noticed how James kept his eyes glued to the ceiling of the barn as he lay in his cot on his back. Everyone else was asleep.

"Nothing, really. This was just something I didn't expect. Don't get me wrong, I think it would be great to see a spectacle like that. I guess I don't expect too many things in my life."

Pierre shook his head. "After four years, you still think you're alone, huh?"

"...I don't know what I am anymore," James said, getting up and heading towards the barn's side entrance.

"Where are you going?" Pierre asked in a whisper, sitting up.

"To think," James whispered back as he headed out the door, closing it silently behind him. He walked across the yard towards the shed, using the light of the twin moons to help guide him. A rustle of grass and a soft warble caught his attention, and he turned to see gold Trisk ambling towards him. Watch-whers only came out at night, so no one actually knew much of what they looked like since they were all asleep. James didn't sleep much, so he was always able to get a full view of what Trisk looked like. Most watch-whers were only half the size of a normal full grown man; Trisk was slightly bigger than the average queen watch-wher. James smiled, and scratched her eye ridges. He felt her thrum with pleasure as she closed her eyes and leaned into the scratch.

"I'd like to be alone right now," he said to her softly, patting her neck and putting his forehead on top of hers. She crooned with worry, licking his cheek and causing him to chuckle.

"I'm fine," he said. "I just need to think." She gave him an admonishing _cheep _as he straightened up, and trotted in the opposite direction away from the shed.

_That must mean she doesn't want me to stay up too late, _he thought. _Don't worry, I won't._

This area of the shed was where James spent most of the night practicing his fighting skills. He was never sure where he learned such movements from, but they did help him calm down when he was in deep thought. He would step forward lightly, his hands moving in slow, intricate patterns as if he were in water. At times he would dip slightly, then turn on the balls of his feet and repeat the same movements in the opposite direction, all the while taking slow, controlled breaths.

_This should be something exciting to me, _he thought as he finished his movements. _So why am I so worried?_

He finished his movements by standing straight, bringing his hands together and tucking his head while letting his breath out slowly.

I decided to try my hand at writing about Pern. I like the books, in particular because I like dragons. Some of the relationship statuses I don't agree with, but I don't dwell on reading those parts for too long. Anyway, let me know what you think about this chapter. I'll be sure to upload more, regardless. Someone's bound to like it.


	2. Chapter 2

Hope you enjoyed the last chapter. Here's the next one.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my characters.

**Chapter Two**

Pierre awoke to the glow basket near his head propped open. He looked over at James' cot to see him stuffing clothes and other items into a carisack at the front of his cot. He looked around and saw two other drudges doing the same thing. Everyone else was waking up and preparing for the day's chores.

"Is it that time already?" Pierre asked, rubbing the sleep from his eyes and sitting up.

"Almost," James replied, not looking at him. Pierre reached under his cot and pulled his coveralls out. Shaking them vigorously to rid them of hay and dirt, he pulled them on, then stuffed his feet into his boots. He zipped up the torso just as James finished loading his carisack and stood up.

"You okay?" Pierre asked. He noticed James had a slightly nervous look.

"...sort of," James said, standing up. "Look, it's been a little over four Turns since I arrived here. When Lord Trisel took me in, I thought that I wouldn't have to travel along anymore dirt roads again. You guys have been so good to me, that you're pretty much family. And now I have to leave again..."

"Uh, James? What are you talking about? You're only going to Igen for a few days to help out. You'll be coming back here when it's over."

James sighed. "I hope that's the case," he said. "Something's been bothering me since last night; I'm not sure what. I guess I'm just a little nervous that someone might recognize me, you know? Someone from some hold or hall that I've never met who knows about my past. Might see a family member there, or something. Not that I know anything about my family, anyway. But who knows? I just don't want to lose you guys."

"Lose us? How can you lose us? We're not going anywhere. We'll still be here when you get back. Now let's go get some breakfast, ya big softy."

James smiled and hefted the carisack onto his shoulder. He hooked his other arm around Pierre's neck, and the two walked out of the barn towards the hold.

"By the way, call me 'softy' again, and I'll snap you in half," James said, emphasizing the threat by squeezing his arm around Pierre's neck.

"Right...gotcha!" Pierre choked out.

Igen Weyr was a bustle of activity. Everyone was preparing for the hatching that was soon to come. Headwoman Janissa was in the kitchens shouting orders to the kitchen drudges on what she needed to happen, and what to prepare for when the time arrives. She finally managed to keep Weyrwoman Elizabeth out of the kitchens long enough to do her job by lacing her sweet cakes at dinner time with fellis juice to keep her in bed longer in the morning. The candidates, under a watchful orange-eyed Pireth sitting in a tight circle around her eggs, were led onto the hatching grounds to view the eggs. She snorted with annoyance as two groups of girls made their way towards the two queen eggs, which she kept her front claws around. She brought the eggs closer to her body and eyed the girls warily. The girls nervously stepped back as Pireth made low, threatening growls.

_Do calm down, love, you're scaring them,_ Alania pleaded with her as she stood on the low wall in front of the first row of the viewing stands. _They're just here to view the eggs._

_I do not like any of them,_ Pireth protested, still eying the girls. _They smell funny. They might try to steal my eggs!_

_Don't be ridiculous! Look at them; half of them are too scrawny to even pick up a large stone, let alone an egg that's twice their size!_

_ You humans ARE capable of hidden strengths..._

Alania's weyrmate, D'ron, stood off to the side while watching the exchange between Alania and Pireth, complete with hand gestures and facial expressions. He, too, kept an eye on the egg viewing to make sure everything went smooth. Unlike Alania, who could hear his dragon talk, he couldn't hear what was going on between her animations and Pireth's whirring orange eyes.

_Hey Korath, what are they talking about? _ He asked his bronze dragon, who was sitting on a ledge outside of the hatching grounds.

_How should I know?_ Korath shot back. _I cannot hear her when she is like this. Not that I would want to, at any rate, unless I want to get tail slapped._

D'ron grinned. _Happened before, I take it?_

Korath snorted. _Oh, hush! It is not like you do not get nervous around Alania when she is moody._

D'ron stifled a chuckle in case Alania might hear him through her talk with Pireth. He was about to say something else when something happened on the sands that made him start. One of the male candidates was edging to the left, near Pireth's tail. He had noticed the bulk of an odd colored shape hidden away in the shadows, just behind Pireth's left thigh, and went to investigate. D'ron made a move to intercept the boy, but before he could reach the sands, Pireth noticed the boy and swiped at him with her tail, hissing at him furiously with her eyes turning dangerously red. The boy backpedaled and landed hard on his rear with a yelp. He scrambled away from the now angrily roaring dragon, along with the other candidates who were scurrying off of the sands to get away.

"PIRETH, STOP!" Alania cried out in both mind and voice as she dropped to the sands and ran over to her dragon as she began to rise.

_He is trying to steal my eggs!_ Pireth cried, still roaring. Korath came in through the opening at the top of the hatching grounds, eyes whirring yellow with anxiety.

_What happened?! _ He asked, nervously.

_I'm about to find out,_ D'ron said, reaching the boy that was the subject of Pireth's ire. _See what you can do to help calm her down._

Korath gave a nervous grunt, but glided over to the ledge that was just above Pireth. Alania was already there, trying to calm her down. Pireth was still bellowing about her eggs, when a mighty roar silenced everyone. Drennath, with Elizabeth on her back, came in through the top opening, leveling a quelling glare at Pireth, who immediately dropped her head in reproach. Drennath touched down onto the sands and Elizabeth, not waiting for anyone to help her down, vaulted off of Drennath with a skill of a many-Turn rider. This action caused everyone to gasp, hoping beyond hope that she doesn't break a bone.

"What's all the racket in here?" she demanded when she landed safely, much to everyone's relief. "Drennath told me something about someone stealing eggs."

"Pireth thought this young man was trying to steal her eggs," D'ron said, hefting the accused individual to his feet.

"I-I-I wasn't trying to steal anything!" the candidate cried nervously, trying to hide behind the bronze rider. "I saw something in the corner of the grounds, so I went to see what it was! A-a-a-and that's when she swiped at me!"

"Now, you should know better than to get too close to a queen dragon who has clutched," Elizabeth said, sternly. She looked up to see a small crowd of workers and Headwoman Janissa at the entrance to the hatching grounds, an annoyed look on her face. They heard all of the yelling and roaring, and came to see what the commotion was about.

"WHAT ARE YOU ALL DOING?!" Elizabeth shouted to them. "GET BACK TO WORK! SHOW'S OVER!"

Everyone scrambled back into the kitchens to continue what they were doing. When Elizabeth wanted to be heard, she could project her voice so that everyone can hear. For being old and frail, she had the stamina of a young dragon rider, and the toughness to match. People highly respected her for her wise decisions involving the weyr over the Turns, and her resolve to prosper it was just as evident as ever. No wonder her and Weyrleader D'marcus were a good match! His boldness matched her tenacity greatly. Her legacy was so great that when she talked, no matter how soft or loud she was, everyone listened, including dragons.

Drennath was still chastising Pireth for her outburst. The poor young queen was still distraught with worry, but her eyes had calmed from bright orange, to yellow with tinges of orange in them. The three of them- Drennath, Korath, and Alania- were able to get that far. Queen dragons were very protective of their eggs when they clutched, watching over them with the protectiveness of a wherry-hen.

_Don't come down on her too hard, dear,_ Elizabeth said to Drennath. _It's her first clutch, her anxiety is somewhat understandable._

Drennath turned her head towards her. _Was I this bad when I first clutched?_ She asked.

_No,_ Elizabeth said with a rueful grin. _You were worse._

Janissa, who stayed behind when everyone else scrambled back into the kitchens, walked over to where everyone was in the first row of the viewing stands after everything settled down. She was so sure that she put enough fellis juice in those cakes last night to keep the Weyrwoman in bed this morning. Maybe she should make the dose stronger. But it's probably a good thing that she showed up; things may have gotten worse.

"Excuse me, Weyrwoman?" She approached as humbly as she could. Despite Weyrwoman Elizabeth being close to her age, she still had Turns of experience over Janissa.

"Yes?"

Janissa didn't know how to ask the question. "Aren't you...um...a little tired still?"

"What are you babbling about? I'm fine. D'marcus might need a little more attention paid to him, though. He's been fussy lately, so I've been giving him those fellis cakes you keep giving me at dinner time. Keeps him sleep long enough to get a good night's rest, though I don't know how him and Gameth slept through all of this commotion."

Janissa balked. How did she know?! She's slipped doses of fellis juice, or any other type of medicinal product into food before, for people who've had trouble taking them right out, and nobody had been the wiser. She started stammering a response, until Elizabeth gave her a knowing grin.

"Don't be so surprised, Janissa," she said. "I haven't lived my entire life in the weyr to know when my own big sister is trying to keep me out of her hair. All you had to do was ask."

Janissa sighed. "No wonder you're Weyrwoman," she said, grinning. Tender moments like these, where the Headwoman and Weyrwoman could forget formalities and just be siblings, came few and far in between, but they enjoyed each moment that came by.

"Well, I'd better go make sure nothing is getting broken in the kitchens. There's no telling what could happen if I'm gone for even a minute!" She turned on her heel and went back into the caverns. The candidates were seated in the stands, still shaken about the scare they just had. The boy that caused all the trouble was explaining to D'ron and Elizabeth what happened, and why he approached Pireth.

"Well, it won't do any good to go over there now, unless we want a recap," D'ron said when the lad finished. "Might be worse next time. Let's get the lot of you back to the barracks."

_This isn't good,_ D'ron thought, as the candidates were lead out of the hatching grounds. _They need to have strong minds come the time for the hatching._

_Maybe some food and a good rest will calm them down,_ Korath suggested.

_They just ate half an hour ago!_

_Scaring sometimes helps food to digest faster._

D'ron quirked an eyebrow. _How would you know?_

_...I do not know, but it is a good suggestion._ He punctuated this statement with a mighty yawn.

_Lazy,_ D'ron said, grinning at his dragon's lack of restraint. _Has P'rad and Kilith left to get the help from Lemos Hold? They should be just getting up and have already breakfasted._

_They left just a few moments ago. They heard everything that was going on and were about to come over here, but I told them to go ahead, we had everything under control...sort of._

_Well, with the extra help from Lemos, we should be good for the hatching. Let me know when they get back._

_ Okay._

After breakfast, business went on as usual. James and the other two drudges that were going with him to Igen Weyr had staged their gear near the hold's front door, and went about the daily tasks. James was unusually silent for the most part, only acknowledging when he was being spoken to, or nodding an affirmative when asked to do a task. Lord Trisel noticed his nervousness, and decided to intervene. James had always been a little on the quiet side, but this was more than usual.

"You okay?" he asked as he approached James, who was cleaning the fireplace hearth. James nearly jumped out of his skin at the sound of the Lord Holder's voice behind him.

"Shells..." James breathed, placing his hand over his fast beating heart.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."

"It...it's okay, sir. I was just caught up in my own thoughts, is all"

"So I noticed. You've been strangely quiet all morning. Is everything okay?"

"Yes sir. Why do you ask?"

"I'm just a little concerned. In the four Turns I've known you, you weren't anywhere near this quiet. I mean, I _know _you're a quiet guy, but it's just a little more than usual today."

James smiled apologetically. "I'm just a little nervous, that's all," he said.

"Nervous of what?"

"...not really sure myself. Guess I'm just nervous about the hatching. Someone there might recognize me or something. I've never been to a hatching before. Maybe I'm just excited, and I don't know how to react to it."

"It takes time to get used to. You go to enough of them, and you'll begin to make bets on who will Impress what dragon."

"...I suppose," James said, smiling ruefully and scratching the back of his head. "Please excuse me, I have some more cleaning to do."

Later that morning, James was in the cellar out back feeding Trisk, a task handed to him by Lord Trisel when he saw how Trisk reacted towards James, and the fact that Trisel himself didn't really have too much time to care for her. During his days of not taking care of hold business, Trisel gave his time towards the gold watch-wher, but there were still some things about her that he didn't know. As he fed Trisk, James told her about the trip he was getting ready to take to help at Igen. The watch-wher crooned piteously upon hearing this news.

"I'm sorry," he said. "but it's something I've been picked for. I'll be back when it's over." But even as he said that, he began to have doubts if he would come back to Lemos or not. The watch-wher turned her photosensitive eyes towards him. She began hissing, twisting her mouth to get it to work the way she wanted. A look of pure concentration came across her face as she pressed her lips together as if to say a word...which is exactly what she did.

_"Sssss...ssssss!"_ she started off. _"Ssssssttyyyy...hhhhhrrrrrrr...mmmnnnhhh!"_

It took James a few seconds to realize that Trisk just spoke to him. I took him even longer to figure out what she said. His mouth hung open as he absorbed this unique ability about the watch-wher. He'd often wondered why watch-whers were never talked about much. They have so many abilities that people have yet to discover! He began wondering how long it would be before these cousins of the great dragons would begin forming complete sentences like humans do. Trisk's plaintive _chirrup _brought him back to the present.

"I wish I didn't have to go," he said, smiling. "You know I would love to stay here with you, but a drudge has to do what the Lord Holder says." He reached up from his sitting position and wrapped his arms around Trisk's neck, embracing her in a hug. Trisk closed her eyes and rubbed her head against his. Suddenly, she turned her head up towards the cellar doors and emitted a strange wailing sound. James looked at her quizzically, but she butted his chest with her nose and gave him a "You have to go now" look. James gave her a final scratch behind her eye ridges and trotted up the stairs. Pierre met him at the top of the stairs as he emerged out into the sunlight.

"Lord Trisel's looking for you," he said. "A dragonrider just landed outside. Probably here to get you and the other two."

A look of astonishment crossed James's face. He turned back to the cellar and looked into the inky darkness, thinking about the wail that Trisk emitted just a few moments ago. So that's what that was all about! She was acknowledging the arrival of a dragon! His respect for the watch-wher increased ten-fold.

"Something wrong?" Pierre asked. James, not turning around, wiped a tear from his eye.

"Everything will be fine," he said, turning towards the hold. Once inside, he was met by Lord Trisel, asking where he was.

"I was feeding Trisk," he said. _For perhaps the final time..._

He kept that thought to himself as he was led over to the front door where his bag was, alongside the two other drudges with their bags in their hands, and the dragonrider, whom the Lord Holder promptly introduced, and who was there to take them to Igen. P'rad eyed James inscrutably. He didn't look like any sort of drudge that he'd ever seen. Sure, there were other drudges that had his size and build, but James carried something about himself that other drudges didn't; he just couldn't put his finger on it.

James picked up his carisack and slipped it over his shoulders. Unlike the other two, James had modified his carisack to have two straps instead of one, so that he was able to slip both straps on both of his shoulders. That way, the bulk of the weight would not make him lean to one side, and it's distributed proportionately on his back so as to not cause him to strain under the weight. Not that he had much to carry anyway, being alone most of his life.

"Any of you rode dragonback before?" P'rad asked. They shook their heads no.

"Don't worry," he said with a chuckle. "It's a little scary for the first time, but once you get used to it, it's an enjoyable experience."

_Until you go between, _James thought, twisting his mouth up to one side as P'rad led them outside to his awaiting brown dragon. James looked up at the dragon, whose many faceted eyes reflected the sunlight beautifully. _Man, that is one big brown._

Kilith regarded James with the same curiosity that Trisk showed when he first arrived at the Hold, James noticed. He leaned his great head down to eye level with James, his great blue eyes whirring lightly. James leaned back a little, wondering what the dragon was doing. P'rad looked on curiously, wondering why his dragon had suddenly taken a keen interest in a mere drudge.

_What are you doing, Kilith? _P'rad asked. Kilith turned his head slightly towards his rider.

_This one interests me, _he said, sniffing at James. _He has my hide color. He does not smell like a drudge, though._

P'rad wondered about that statement as he got extra riding straps out of the bag hanging on Kilith's side. _Then how does he smell?_

Kilith picked his head up, still looking at James. _Spicy, _ he said simply.

P'rad stopped what he was doing and looked at his dragon. _Spicy?_

Kilith gave an apologetic look. P'rad sighed, and proceeded to show the three drudges how to hook up the leather straps to the harnesses, and how to wear them when riding dragonback.

"...and this is the correct way to mount a dragon," he said, demonstrating by using Kilith's leg as a step and vaulting up onto his neck, settling between the third and fourth ridge.

"One of you can ride in front of me, and the other two can ride in the back. Just be sure you're strapped in good and snug when we take off."

James promptly climbed to Kilith's neck and settled in front of P'rad, securing himself into the harness with what seemed to be natural born skill. P'rad's eyebrows furrowed in puzzlement.

"I thought you never rode dragonback?" he asked James.

"I haven't," James said, wondering himself how he was able to strap on the harness professionally.

"Then how did you-"

"Dunno. I just knew what I had to do."

_How can this person be a drudge? _P'rad thought as he helped the other two drudges up onto the dragon.

_That is what he fancies himself to be_, Kilith said.

_What does that mean?_

_ I don't know, but that's what he wants._

P'rad began toying with the idea that this drudge can hear dragons, but that would be impossible since that ability is usually found in females.

_We can worry about that later, _he said, patting the brown dragon affectionately on the neck. _Let's get out of here before D'ron sends someone to look for us._

The dragon gave a mighty heave, beating its wings furiously to gain altitude. The two drudges behind P'rad clung onto each other with a yelp of surprise. James, on the other hand, showed no reaction to the mighty upheaval, not even a smile. As the dragon rose, James thought he heard a soft, keen wailing coming from the back of the hold.

_Don't worry, my friend, _he thought. _I'll be back._

Once Kilith got above the rooftops of Lemos Hold, he turned in the direction of Igen Weyr and took off.

Took me a couple of days to get this out. Between school, work, and church, it's hard to constantly update this. Plus I keep falling asleep while typing, like I am right now. I'll update as fast as I can, though.


	3. Chapter 3

I don't mind constructive criticism, but I write the way I do for a reason.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything but my characters.

**Chapter 3**

As they flew, P'rad tried to start a conversation with the drudges. Normally, dragonriders don't have any contact with drudges unless it's to task them out. P'rad had a habit throughout the weyr for interacting with the workers and drudges, which usually found him on the bad side of Janissa's temper for interfering with their work. When asked why he, as a dragonrider, interacted with the drudges more than the other riders, his explanation was "the other dragonriders were stuffy and proud", and "it was as if I were talking to a heap of rushes". He was able to find out good information from the drudges involving other weyrs that he mostly kept to himself, though how they get the information is beyond him. He jokingly called his connections the Drudge Underground.

The two drudges behind him were too scared or too surprised to be in the presence of a dragonrider to answer any of his questions. Every time he would talk to them, they would give him a wide-eyed stare, as if they were too afraid of saying the wrong thing. Seeing that he wasn't going to get anywhere with them, he turned his attention towards James. The muscular drudge was quite stoic during the flight. Kilith's interest in this drudge was just as much of an interest to P'rad than James was himself. Surely this guy has a story to be told. Not only that, his name didn't even sound Pernese. A Pernese name (usually the male) would be a combination of their parents' names. Perhaps this was the reason that Kilith was interested in him.

"So uh, James, correct?" P'rad asked James.

"Yes?" James responded.

"How long have you been a drudge under Lord Trisel?"

"Only four Turns." James had a habit of keeping his words and answers short to people he didn't know too well.

"Oh wow. Were you born there?"

"No sir."

_Sir?_ P'rad thought. _He looks to be almost the same age as me!_

_You are a dragonrider,_ Kilith said pointedly.

_Well, yeah but..."sir" makes me feel old._

Kilith's silence unsettled P'rad, but he got the distinct impression that the dragon was laughing. P'rad made a face and turned his attention back to James.

"What hold or hall were you born in?"

"...I don't know."

"What do you mean?"

James turned his head towards the dragonrider. "I mean I don't know where I was born. I don't even know who my parents are."

James sounded a little disconcerted, so P'rad decided not to press the issue. It still left him with many questions to ask this mysterious drudge. Perhaps he didn't like sharing his personal background with people? Either that, or he was just as nervous as the other two, but just a little more talkative. He had to admit that Kilith was right. No family, no hold, doesn't even know his own past. This guy is interesting.

_Told you so,_ Kilith said, projecting an image of what could be a wry grin if dragons had lips. P'rad couldn't help but smile. He and Kilith were made for each other; always teasing and trying to prove each other wrong or right. Some of the other riders said they could pass for brothers.

_Well, we've spent enough time flying around,_ he said. _Let's get to Igen._

_You got it._

"We're about to go between now," P'rad said loud enough for everyone to hear. He felt the two drudges behind him stiffen; James didn't move.

"We won't be in there long," he continued. "There is no feeling or sound in between, but just keep a steady mind and a steady grip on the straps, and count three heartbeats. We'll be out before you know it."

_Ready, Kilith?_

_ Ready!_

_ Go!_

The sensation of between was nothing like James had ever felt. Ten times darker than the cellar which Trisk stayed in, and colder than the coldest of winters that he'd ever remember having to trek through, James had no sense of feeling. He couldn't feel the straps in his hands, even though he knew he had a death grip on them. He couldn't feel P'rad behind him, though he knew the dragonrider was there. He couldn't even hear himself breathe. The darkness and the cold pierced his skin, seeping into every pore. Then he felt his mind beginning to slip away into the darkness, felt himself giving in to its odd comfort. So very dark...so very, very cold...and yet, so...familiar?

James was brought back to reality as they emerged from between over the Star Stones at Igen Weyr, and he had to blink in the mid morning sunlight to get his eyes used to daylight again. Kilith bugled his arrival to the watch dragon, who answered in kind. As they sailed towards the weyr bowl, James looked around him. Despite hearing the stories about Igen's weather conditions, that since it was close to winter time so no one should be surprised that anyone was out and about, he was still amazed. The weyr bowl looked like spring time came early. There was actually grass on the ground, where there was usually nothing but sand and heat. Dragons and their riders were all over the place, conducting daily routines and training sessions for fighting Thread. Workers and drudges were everywhere, moving material about and doing general cleanup in preparation for the hatching. In all, Igen Weyr looked like a proper weyr instead of the dust bowl that it was commonly referred to.

It occurred to James later that they could have gone between after they got a good distance above Lemos Hold. Perhaps the brown rider was in need of a conversation of sorts. Not that he could blame the guy. With all of the noise going about in the bowl, one could barely get a word in. Kilith back winged and landed in front of the kitchen cavern, sending up a blast of dust that flew into the dining area.

"KILITH!" Janissa's voice rang pure and true from the kitchen. Kilith backed away from the entrance and the old woman that was bearing down upon him, face suffused with fury.

_Now you've done it,_ P'rad said.

Kilith grunted. _You were the one who told me to land here!_

"What do you think you're doing?!" Janissa demanded, hands on hips and tapping one foot. "I just had this place swept, and now it's dirty again, thanks to you!"

Kilith groaned and shied away from her, his blue eyes whirring apologetically. Janissa spotted P'rad on Kilith's back, and leveled a glare at him. He returned a two finger peace sign while grinning sheepishly.

"Well, P'rad. Since you lack the common sense to keep your dragon _away_ from the kitchen while it's being cleaned, you get to do it for him!" She grabbed a broom that was leaning just on the inside of the cavern entrance and shoved the handle into P'rad's face. "Start sweeping!"

"But that's for the drudges to do!" P'rad whined

"Your mess, you clean!"

"Uh, uh, um...I have the drudges from Lemos Hold with me," he stammered, trying to get out of doing the job

"Ohh, that's nice. NOW SWEEP!" She thrust the handle back into P'rad's face.

"W-w-wait, I have to get them out of their straps first!" P'rad protested. Janissa marched over to Kilith's side and pulled on a strap buckle. Instantly, all of the straps fell off of P'rad and the drudges. P'rad gawked at her.

"H-how did you do that?!" he asked.

"I haven't spent forty Turns as Headwoman without knowing a few tricks," she said, tossing him the broom. "You three," she pointed at the drudges. "get down, get your things, and follow me. I'll get you settled in with the other helpers' barracks, and you'll be put right to work. And YOU," she pointed at P'rad. "I want the dining hall as clean as I had it before the dust storm you brought in!"

P'rad started to sputter a protest, but Janissa's glare shut him up. He muttered a "Yes, Headwoman" and dismounted with the drudges off of Kilith, who immediately flew off to P'rad's weyr when everyone retrieved their gear from the carisacks on his sides.

"Follow me," Janissa said to the drudges. James glanced at P'rad as they passed him by. He had a sour look on his face as he swept, but his eyes were dancing with amusement. So this was a game to him, James surmised. He'd always thought dragonriders to be surly individuals with no personalities, shell-bent on fighting Thread. Perhaps there were those that slipped through the cracks that retained their original personalities after they'd Impressed.

"You needn't worry about P'rad," Janissa said to the drudges as they walked through the commons area. "He's always causing trouble around here." She grinned a little. "I suppose it is a good thing. His antics liven up the place a little. These dragonriders can be so stuffy sometimes. The only time they do show some kind of interest in anything is when they're out fighting Thread."

Once they were settled into the barracks, Janissa set them to various tasks; cleaning rooms, carrying items from here to there, straightening things up. Despite Igen not being too big of a weyr, there was plenty to do for all the drudges, and towards lunch time they were only halfway done. James was thoroughly enjoying the work. He threw himself into each task given him vigorously, not necessarily because he enjoyed them, but because they kept his mind occupied on something other than wondering why some of the dragons kept looking at him whenever he passed through the weyr bowl. Each of them had that same curious look about them when they saw him, and he was starting to get quite unsettled.

After lunch James was tasked out to help in the kitchen with the kitchen drudges to clean and get things prepared for evening dinner. As he carried a sack of tubers to a storage room, he happened to pass by the kitchen entrance to the hatching grounds. A movement caught his eye, and on instinct he turned to see the queen dragon as she perked her head up to stare straight at him, her eyes turning from light yellow to green when she saw him. He stared back at her, wondering why a queen dragon was staring at him. A queen dragon, staring at a mere drudge. James just couldn't make sense of what was going on.

_Is there something about me that dragons find interesting?_ He wondered.

"Hey! Get over here!" A burly drudge he recognized as being called Barlen waved impatiently at him to bring the sack to the storage closet he was standing at. James moved quickly towards the closet.

"What were you doin' over there? Wishin' you wuz one 'a them candidates or something?"

"Uh, no I was just...never mind." James decided to keep the dragons' curiosity to himself. He had enough problems to deal with. Barlen gave him a once-over as he put the sack on top of a small mound of other tuber sacks.

"You sure you're a drudge?" he asked. James stopped adjusting the bag and looked at the big man.

"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked, his eyebrows furrowing a little.

"I don't know, you just look like something other than a worker, an' you sure as shells don't sound like one!"

James grinned, not sure of what to make of that statement. "Of course I'm a drudge," he said, chuckling. "Been one for about four Turns under Lord Trisel of Lemos Hold."

"Oh, so it wuz you and them other two that got here last?"

James nodded his head. "Yes, that was us," he said.

"Well, y'all got here just in time," Barlen said with a bit of a drawl. "Them eggs in that there hatching ground look mighty ripe and hard, an' are getting ready to crack any day now." He closed the door to the storage room, and he and James went to go find something else to work on.

"I been here a plenty while m'self," Barlen continued. "Done seen a few hatchings here and there. Lemme tell you a little about 'em..."

At dinner time he ate in the corner of the dining hall with the other drudges. He stayed well hidden behind everyone else, only coming out to refill his drinking mug or get more food, in case anyone else wanted to know why he was around the drudges, in which he would have to remind them that he was a drudge himself. The grimy coveralls he wore must not have clued them in. He was careful not to indulge too much at one time; he hated being slow. Too much food weighed him down, so he was careful to pace himself when he ate. Not that the drudges here ate much anyway, unlike the candidates or the dragonriders. Back at Lemos Hold the drudges were able to eat a hearty meal every night. Here, you were lucky enough to get a small wherry leg if the dragonriders and candidates didn't eat them all first.

Later that night, as the drudges prepared to go to sleep, everyone was talking or griping about the workload that was put on them. James was sitting on the window ledge, looking out into the weyr bowl.

_So beautiful,_ he thought, looking up at the stars. _Wonder why I never thought to enjoy this back at Lemos._

"Hey James, we're closing the glow baskets!" someone called to him.

"Alright," he responded, and the room went dark. James continued watching the outside for a few moments more, trying to think of something-anything-about himself that dragons found interesting about him. As far as he was concerned, he was nobody, just a drudge with no past. He looked up towards the fireheights where the watch dragon was posted, making out its great silhouette in the moonlight as it stood guard. It turned its head towards him, its eyes sparkling blue green, not with curiosity, James noticed, but with welcome. That served to confuse James even more, but despite himself, he smiled. That was a lot better than having them look at him curiously all the time. He hopped off the ledge and made his way to his cot.

James awoke the next morning with a start, bolting upright and with a throbbing behind his right ear. He pressed his fingers there, feeling no pain but wondered what was going on. Then he heard the humming. It was very faint, partially due to the grating snores of the still sleeping drudges, but he heard it just the same. He got out of his cot and made his way to the window. It was still dark out, but the moons had already set so only the stars was visible. He was able to hear the humming more clearly now. It was a distinct sort of hum, a constant flow that had no change in its pitch, and sounded like more than just one.

The sound of flapping wings caused him to look up into the sky, and he saw the giant bulk of a shadowy body flying overhead. Then another a few moments after that one. Dragons! And they seemed to be not only coming from the weyrs, but from outside the bowl as well, heading to an opening that was well above the kitchen caverns. The watch dragon trumpeted a welcome to each one as they came in. Now he recognized where the humming was coming from. He tried to remember what he heard once about dragons humming. Something about when they hum, something special was getting ready to happen...

"GET UP, GET UP, GET UP!" Barlen shouted, barging into the barracks room and opening glow baskets. James jumped around when he barged in, immediately forgetting about the throbbing behind his ear. The other drudges groggily woke up, complaining about it being too early for him to make so much noise.

"GIT OFF YOUR LAZY ARSES AND GIT DRESSED! THEMS EGGS IS GETTIN' READY TO HATCH, AN' WE NEED HELP FEEDING 'EM WHEN THEY IMPRESS!"

The effect was immediate. No one wanted to miss a hatching. The drudges all scampered around, struggling to get dressed and out the door. Janissa was already in the kitchen, shouting orders to everyone with choppers chopping up meat for the newly hatched dragons. Several large bowls were already full, and as the drudges were shoved through the kitchen towards the hatching grounds they were handed a bowl of meat. James was thrown into the mix as well, with the two other Lemos drudges behind him, and was promptly given a bowl. As he followed the line of drudges out into the hatching grounds, he looked around. Dragons were landing everywhere, dropping off their passengers in the viewing stands, and immediately flying up towards the upper ledges to make room for another dragon to drop people off. James recognized brown Kilith as he made his way up to the ledges. P'rad was settling himself in the stands, a kooky grin playing on his face.

The drudges were led to the outer wall of the grounds on the left side. From here, they were able to have a pretty good view of the hatching as it took place. James looked around the stands, recognizing as he did that most of the people that were there were either major Lord Holders or the weyrleaders from surrounding weyrs, as well as the Master Harper himself. The Igen Weyrleaders were there too; James recognized the old bronze rider from the limp way his right arm hung from the bad Threadscore he'd received. He didn't see Lord Trisel or his wife, but he did recognize Telgar's colors on the Weyrleader and Weyrwoman. He never saw them before, quite possibly due to him not being there long enough to know them.

The throbbing behind his ear increased as the dragon's humming intensified. He rubbed at it, wishing it would go away. There was a hush among the stands as the candidates entered into the grounds from a central opening. They were all dressed in white, the females having long robes and the males having shirts and trousers. One of the candidates hung back nervously as Pireth, sitting on the ledge above her eggs, narrowed her yellow eyes at him.

_Pireth, _Alania said, sternly. _Leave him alone._

_ Hmph, _was Pireth's response as she picked her head back up. She glared at the girls surrounding the queen eggs, but didn't move. James looked closely at the male candidate that Pireth glared at. Something about him was very familiar.

"Hey," he whispered, elbowing the drudge next to him. "Isn't that one of Lord Trisel's fosterlings, Salen?"

The drudge looked in his direction as he joined a group of boys that surrounded an egg that, along with the others, began rocking gently.

"Oh yeah, he was Searched two seven-days ago," the drudge said.

"I wondered why I didn't hear a whiny voice throughout the hold after a while. I must have been doing something else when he left."

James didn't pay too much attention to it at first, but he was starting to become increasingly hot. Perhaps it was the heat rising from the sands, or the fact that he was wearing dark clothes. He'd heard the superstitious rumor that dark clothes absorbed heat faster than light clothes, and the fact that he was dark skinned didn't do much to quell such a rumor.

_Should've packed something lighter, _he thought, switching the bowl in his hands to roll up his sleeves. He looked around at the other drudges, seeing if they were affected by the heat as well. They seemed just fine, talking and betting on who will impress what color dragon. He furrowed his eyebrows a little and wiped the sweat that formed onto his head.

The increase in the humming brought his attention back to the grounds. The eggs had begun rocking wildly, and it seemed as if they were going to fall over on each other. Suddenly there was a large cracking sound as one of the eggs close by split right down the middle, and out burst a green dragon, crying piteously as it fell away from the shell. The boys surrounded her, each trying to get her to notice him, but she beelined straight for Salen, tripping on her wing as she did so. He caught her before she fell, holding her head in his hands and looking deep into her eyes. Impression.

"She says her name is Talath!" he called out to the stands. Everyone cheered as he lead her off the grounds towards the awaiting bowls of meat the drudges had.

"Pretty ironic, huh?" D'ron said in a low voice to Alania. "The one candidate that stirred Pireth's wrath is the first one to Impress."

"I suppose," she said, smiling a little. She wrapped her arms around her weyrmate's and leaned her head on his shoulder. "I wonder who will Impress the queens."

"I always thought Salen had a little too much sweetener in him," a Lemos drudge said, smiling mischievously and elbowing James knowingly in the ribs. The green dragons, which were female, were always Impressed by males, usually ones with some hints of feminine qualities, whether they were very evident or hidden. James chuckled at the statement and turned his attention back to the hatching, which he was having a hard time paying attention to. The throbbing behind his ear had went away along with the dragons' humming when the first egg hatched, and was replaced by a sense of suffocation. He was finding it increasingly hard to breath, and had to take several deep breaths to get air into his lungs. He listened as three more candidates Impressed three dragons that popped out of their shells—two bronzes and a blue—and watched as they made their way off of the grounds.

_No wonder no one likes being here in the summer, _he thought, tugging at his collar.

_But it is not summer._

That thought came unbidden into his mind, and he perked his head up, looking around for the owner of the voice. It was too clear, almost a perfect match of his own voice, but a little higher. He looked around at the other drudges. None of them seemed to notice anything out of the ordinary. Those that weren't helping feed the newly hatched dragon whelps were paying attention to the hatching.

_Um, am I going crazy all of a sudden?_

_ I hope not. I would not have chosen you otherwise._

Now James knew there was something going on. People just don't have conversations with themselves on this level, not unless they were talking to their dragon. A dragon! But why would a dragon pick him?

_Because you are strong, _the voice said. _I felt your strength, and I knew you were the one for me._

_ But where are you? _James asked, looking around the hatching grounds.

_ I'm over here- _and from the shadows near the wall where Pireth was resting on the ledge, an egg with a dull silvery hue and what looked like swirly wisps adorning the bottom, rolled on its side onto the sands. It came to rest a few feet away from the wall where James was.

_Whoa, _James thought, his eyes widening a little. _How are you talking to me through the egg?_

_ We can worry about that later. Mind giving me a hand getting out of here?_

James wasted no time. He quickly set down the bowl and vaulted over the wall towards the egg.

D'marcus was smiling as he watched the hatching. Everything was going well with the Impressions. He cheered as his eldest daughter Impressed one of the golds that hatched from one of the queen eggs, lifting his good arm in triumph.

"Ha! I knew she had it in her!" he exclaimed. He smiled widely at Elizabeth, who was beaming with pride. D'ron subtly rolled his eyes. The old man could be sporadic at times, but it was always good to see his Weyrleader happy about something. One of the worst things that could happen to anyone was to get on his bad side.

"Where did that egg come from?" D'marcus suddenly asked. D'ron looked in the direction he was pointing. From a corner where Pireth was resting on the ledge above the hatching grounds, an egg with a dull silvery hue with swirly wisps rolled onto the sands, stopping a few feet away from the wall where the drudges were. Alania noticed the egg as well.

_I thought you only clutched twenty-two eggs, Pireth? _She asked her dragon. Pireth looked down, an alarmed look crossing her face.

_I thought it was dead, so I tucked it away, _she said, sounding surprised.

_You could have told us!_

Pireth looked at her rider. _I wasn't letting anyone near my eggs!_

D'ron looked at the egg, remembering the incident that happened a few days ago, when a candidate was almost attacked by Pireth. He had noticed something in that general area, and was going to take a look at it. That egg must have been it! He noticed a few candidates that had not yet Impressed making their way towards the odd-colored newcomer. No matter; at least _someone _will Impress the dragon when it comes out.

"What _is_ that drudge doing?!" There was a hint of anger in D'marcus's voice. D'ron looked towards the wall to see a stocky, dark-skinned drudge leaping over it and running towards the egg.

"That's a drudge?" he asked, cocking his head to the side.

"James, what are you doing?!" the drudges called after him as he ran towards the egg and helped it upright.

"He can't get out! He needs help!" James shouted, and began pounding heavily on the egg with his fists.

_Hurry... _the voice started sounding weaker as air inside the egg became thinner.

"Hold on, I'll get you out of there!" James called, pounding on the shell even harder. He, too, was beginning to feel the tighter restrictions of air, and if he didn't get the dragon out of that shell, they were both going to die...or so he thought.

"What is he- someone get over there and stop him!" D'marcus shouted. Everyone in the audience took notice to what was going on as three candidates rushed over to James to try and apprehend him; he threw them all off with a swipe of his arm. Putting all of his strength into one blow, James delivered a mighty punch to the egg, punching through the tough shell and membrane, leaving a fist sized hole. He tore at this hole, widening it even more for the dragon to make its way out. The dragon burst out of the shell gasping for air. James did too, feeling the restricting pressure lift off of his chest. He caught the dragon as it burst out of the shell, falling under its weight and getting pinned on the ground.

"I got you..." James gasped. "I got you..."

_Gah...thanks... _the dragon said, panting and standing up shakily. It picked its head up to get a good look at James. James looked at the dragon too, their eyes locking with each other. James, looking at his reflection in the many-faceted eyes of the dragon, felt as if he could get lost in their sea of whirring, sparkling deep blue. The dragon looked deep into James' eyes, seeing as it did the strength it felt when it was inside the egg, struggling to get out. Before he knew it, James had Impressed a dragon.

The dragon backed off of James so James, getting on one knee, could look at it better. It was a proper dragon by far, with only one exception: It was silver. Never before had there ever been a dragon with a color like this one, and in the stillness of the hatching grounds that gripped everyone, including dragons, the whelp was quite a sight to behold.

_Wow, you're...you're beautiful! _James said, smiling. The dragon crooned happily.

_You came for me, _the dragon said. _You really came! I thought I was going to lose you, but you came! And now you're here, with me!_

James put his hand gently on the dragon's neck. _I just couldn't let you stay in there, my love! I had to get you out! There is no reason for you to feel or be lonely anymore. I'm here with you._

_ You don't need to be alone anymore, either! Promise to be with me forever?_

James felt tears well up in his eyes. This dragon was so beautiful, so sweet. And now it was so much a part of his life that James knew that he couldn't live without his live partner.

_I promise, _he said fervently, wrapping his arms around the dragon in a fierce hug. The tears flowed from his eyes as the silver dragon rubbed its head against James, their bond between each other sealed. James had never felt so complete in his life. All of the lonely traveling he had done, trying to find out who he was, none of it mattered as much as this moment. He now had part of his life by his side, and he wasn't going to let it go.

Alania was shaken with tears. She had heard everything that was said between the dragon and the drudge, which she now saw didn't look like a drudge at all, but something more. Pireth crooned softly, her happiness evident. She, too, knew there was something different about the drudge when she first saw him yesterday. She just didn't have the mind at the time to tell Alania.

"Well, what do you know?" D'marcus said, smiling a little. "In all my Turns of being a dragonrider, I have _never _seen an Impression such as this one."

D'ron grinned and made his way, along with the old Weyrleader, to the hatching grounds towards James. James looked up at the feeling of someone's hand on his shoulder.

"That was quite a show you put there, son," D'ron said, squatting down to eye level with James. "Gave us quite a scare, too. Thought you went stir-crazy, but now we see that you were trying to help this little one out."

James wiped the tears out of his eyes. "He was suffocating," he said. "I couldn't let him die in there."

D'marcus' eyebrows shot up. "You heard him through the shell? Amazing! What's your name?"

"James, from Lemos hold. I'm a drudge."

"James?" D'marcus echoed. "That's kind of an odd name. What are your parents' names?"

At this, James kind of looked away. "I don't know," he said. "I'm not even sure about my own name. I just know I've had it for a very long time."

"Well, James, you're a dragonrider now, so there will be plenty of time for you to figure that all out," D'ron said, placing his hand firmly on James' shoulder. "So, what's your dragon's name?"

James looked at his dragon and smiled. "His name is Goliath."

Well, finally got this chapter out of the way. Now time for some notes. DawnRain, I did notice the Earth terms that I had missed after I posted the chapters. I'm doing my best not to have them in here. As far as Pireth having two queen eggs, I did say that it was highly unusual for that to happen. Most queens lay a single queen egg at the most, if at all. And the rumors were just that; rumors. I didn't say that it was the environment or anything else, just that people were spreading rumors about the situation. And for James' name, there is a reason for it as you will find in later chapters. It's kind of too late for me to change Elizabeth's name now, so some things will have to be endured. I'll try to keep as much canon as I can. I looked around for anything involving the Seventh Pass so I wouldn't be stepping on any toes or changing any names of holders or Weyrleaders. So far I haven't found anything. If you or anyone else find something involving the Seventh Pass, let me know and I'll be sure to look out for it in later chapters. Thanks for reading!


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I still own nothing.

**Chapter 4**

"I just want to know one thing: HOW IN THE NAME OF PERN DID A DRUDGE IMPRESS A DRAGON?!" Lord Jaskel of Telgar Hold shouted. He, along with several major Lord Holders, including the Weyrleaders and Weyrwomen of Igen, Ista, Benden, and Telgar Weyrs, were in the conference room of Igen Weyr discussing the recent hatching, more specifically the unexpected Impression of the drudge named James to the odd-colored dragon named Goliath. D'ron and Alania were also there, since it was Pireth's clutch that the dragon came from, so was the Master Harper of Pern Bannis, for he needed to know of such matters.

"I didn't even know he _was_ a drudge," D'ron whispered to Alania, who nodded in agreement.

"The more important question," the Weyrleader of Ista, bronze rider T'ress, spoke up. "is how did a person that was not _Searched_ Impress a dragon, and a silver one at that!"

"It's color is all wrong," said Lord Degren of Fort Hold sternly. "There shouldn't be such a color of dragon! It's either sick, or it may be due to being in that egg too long. I'd wager a few marks that it wouldn't last a seven-day."

"I'd second that wager!" Lord Jaskel said emphatically.

"Now that's just unnecessary!" Alania stated, standing up. "You haven't even given the poor thing a chance to prove itself, and you're already betting on its life span! The nerve!"

Lord Jaskel gave Alania a sour look. He was known for being very punctual on tradition, and didn't like when anyone he felt was beneath him, especially women, speaking to or at him with any other tone less than humility.

"You'd do well to know your place, dragon rider," he growled, with chauvinism dripping in his voice.

"And YOU'D do well to watch how you talk to my daughter!" T'ress said heatedly, turning towards the Lord Holder. Despite his age of being forty Turns, he was ready to pounce upon anyone who disrespected his daughter in any sort of way, be they Lord Holder or otherwise. Lord Jaskel turned towards the bronze rider, scowling. He and the bronze rider had been at odds with each other for quite some time. T'ress was never fond of the Lord Holder's chauvinistic attitude, especially towards gold riders, and Lord Jaskel was rather angry that T'ress, then Teressen, Impressed a bronze while Jaskel's own son Impressed a blue, and subsequently becoming Weyrleader in later Turns. It's no wonder the old man never married; there wouldn't be a woman on Pern that would be able to stand his attitude. How he had gotten a woman pregnant at all was anyone's guess.

"ENOUGH." The single word, coming from none other than Weyrwoman Elizabeth, was enough to shut everyone up, even Lord Jaskel, though he still held the scowl. "We're here discussing the hatchling, not your childish quarrels with each other."

"The fact that he Impressed at all shouldn't even be an issue," Lord Geron of Igen Hold said. "The Herd Master checked the dragon out, and saw that it is a proper dragon all around. And dare I say, what an Impression that was!"

"I'd say so myself," said D'marcus, rather grandly. "Gave us quite a scare, he did, what with his pounding on that egg."

"What was that all about, anyway?" The Master Harper asked. "You never did say."

"The dragon had a hard time getting out of the egg," D'ron explained. "Said the dragon talked to him, asked him to help him out of it. I looked at the eggshell myself. It was pretty tough, that's for sure. Took me all my strength and a club just to put some sort of crack into it. And he did it in a series of punches!"

"Well, he is, er, _was_ a drudge," Lady Mistrel, Lord Geron's wife, said. "Quite a burly one, too. Though, upon first glance I couldn't tell that he was a drudge-"

"Have you all gone mad?!" Lord Jaskel spoke up again in disbelief and standing up. "He's a drudge! Drudges don't Impress dragons!"

"Well, this one has," D'marcus said sternly. "and he's a dragonrider now, and we will treat him as one."

"But...but it goes against tradition! Drudges do not Impress dragons, and silver dragons don't exist!"

"And why not?" Lord Geron asked. "What you saw before you is proof."

"Besides, the dragons are never wrong in who they choose to be their partner," Alania said, receiving another scowl from Lord Jaskel. If it weren't for the death glares directed his way from D'ron and T'ress, he would have said something to her again.

"I'll wager," said the Master Harper, rubbing his chin. "that this Impression may be one of the most important for Pern yet."

"How so?" Lord Degren asked, skeptically.

"I haven't the foggiest," the Master Harper said with a shrug. "but there's no need to cast judgment based upon looks alone. You, of all people, should recognize that, Lord Degren. Remember that runnerbeast your stable boy took in that your steward wanted to throw out?"

"Yes, I do remember. Kind of a sickly little thing when I saw it for myself."

"But it turned out to be one of the best runnerbeasts you have, with all the love and care it received from that stable boy!"

"That's after he begged my steward halfway into _between_ to keep it! Wouldn't let up until he said yes, the scamp! But you are correct, Master Harper, and I do see your point, though you may have to forgive me for being a trifle skeptical."

"Can't really fault you for being who you are," said the Master Harper with a smile. "By the way, what's the silver dragon's rider's name?"

"James, from Lemos Hold," said D'ron.

"Lemos?!" Lord Jaskel jolted in his seat. "Didn't we already have someone from Lemos Impress a dragon?! Sullen, er, Salon-"

"S'len," Elizabeth supplied, leveling a disproving glare at the Lord Holder. "and you will address him given his honorary dragonrider name."

_Does he ever shut up?_ Pireth asked Alania.

_Come now, dear,_ Alania tried to sound admonishing, but she still had to subtly cover her mouth to hide the smile forming on her lips.

"But how do we give an honorable contraction to James' name?" Benden Weyrleader, bronze rider F'ren asked, frowning.

"How indeed?" D'marcus mused. "I'm sure J'mes wouldn't sound too strong for a dragonrider. It would probably benefit him more if we just kept his name the same."

"Now you're really going against tradition!" Lord Jaskel cried.

"LORD JASKEL!" Elizabeth said in her sternest voice yet. Everyone around Lord Jaskel moved away from him, as if lightning were getting ready to strike him. Like everyone else, she was getting fed up with his constant demeaning outbursts.

"One more word from you, and you will be excluded from the rest of this meeting! Is that clear?"

Her glare was enough to quell even his over-the-top arrogance. Lord Jaskel seemed to shrink into himself as he muttered a "Yes, M'lady."

"Shouldn't the Lord Holder of Lemos be here?" Lord Degren asked. "It is his fosterling, and I'm sure he has to know about his drudge Impressing a dragon."

"Lemos Hold is quite far," said D'marcus. "He may have other reasons as well for not showing."

Lord Jaskel looked as if he wanted to say something, but wisely kept to himself, not wanting to be thrown out of the meeting. He had a variable dislike for the laid-back Lord Holder of Lemos, stating that he was too soft on his workers and drudges. He'd tried in vain to convince the man to see things his way, all to no avail. He sat and listened to the rest of the meeting, content with imagining how things would go if he'd had his way. By the Egg of Faranth, that drudge would have _never_ Impressed a dragon!

"James...James...why does that name sound familiar?" bronze rider G'ten, Weyrleader of Telgar Weyr was saying, mostly in idle thought to himself. His Weyrwoman, Tania, had a thoughtful expression as well. She, too, thought the name sounded familiar.

"Something wrong?" D'ron asked.

"Not entirely," G'ten said. "It's just that...well, there was a Runner that stopped by the weyr a few Turns back asking about a boy that fit the very description of that young lad; dark-skinned, mysterious, well-mannered. Our Headwoman, Gizenda, recognized who the Runner was talking about right away, though she never knew his name."

D'ron gawked. "He's been to Telgar Weyr?!"

"Come to think of it, she did talk a lot about someone that stayed for two seven-days, and then just disappeared," Tania said. "He was a great help, though, especially with the heavy items."

"Perhaps this is the same one, then," G'ten said.

"But how did he get way out there? Was he a miner turned drudge?"

"Is that even possible?" Alania asked, idly.

"We asked the Masterminer at Crom if he were missing any of his miners or apprentices at any point of time, but he assured me that he had everyone there," G'ten said.

"And Gizenda did say that he just showed up" Tania concluded. "Though how he got into the weyr without anyone, not even us, seeing him is an entirely different matter. We never even knew about him until after he left."

"Hmm...very strange indeed," D'marcus said, thoughtfully rubbing his chin. "D'ron, who was it that picked him up from Lemos Hold?"

"It was brown Kilith's rider, P'rad," D'ron said.

"I should have known," Elizabeth said, an amused look on her face. "P'rad is always talking to drudges."

"Then we'd better get hold of him, see what he knows," D'marcus suggested. "No doubt he grilled the poor lad with twenty questions."

"Better yet, we should talk to James ourselves. We'll leave that up to you, D'ron. He looks to be somewhere near your age, so he may relate better to you."

"Right, M'lady," D'ron said, beginning to rise. "Uh, should I go now?"

"Let's wait until later in the morning. It was quite early when the Impressions happened, and I'm sure they're all asleep after feeding their dragons."

"Sounds like a good idea," D'marcus said, stretching his good arm and yawning. "Now that all of the excitement is gone, I'd like to catch up on the sleep I lost."

And indeed, others inside the room were starting to feel the effects of an excitement rush gone down. F'ren was rubbing at his eye sleepily, and Lord Degren looked ready to pass out.

"Then that concludes this meeting," Elizabeth said, banging the gavel in her hand on the table. "MEETING ADJOURNED!"

Lord Jaskel's head shot up at the sound of the gavel being pounded. He didn't realize that he'd fallen asleep. He looked around and saw that everyone was getting up and leaving the conference room. G'ten, his ride home, waited for him patiently at the door, his wife already outside on her dragon. Lord Jaskel made a disgruntled noise as he brushed passed the Weyrleader.

_If it were up to me,_ he thought bitterly. _There wouldn't _be_ any silver dragons!_

*************************************************  
_Aaahhh...never thought a bath could feel so amazing,_ Goliath said blissfully.

_We'd have probably been done sooner if you didn't splash about so much,_ James said as he scrubbed Goliath's hide with sand soap and a brush. It was about mid morning, and James, along with all the other new weyrlings were washing their dragons in the weyr lake. James was in the water with Goliath, his shirt off and the water up to his chest. Goliath swiveled his silver head towards James, his eyes flickering between green and blue.

_I couldn't help it,_ he said plaintively. _The water feels amazing! Ooh, a little to the left, please._

James smiled as he scrubbed where Goliath indicated. His thrum of pleasure seemed to ripple through James, causing him to chuckle slightly. As he scrubbed Goliath's tail, he was acutely aware that they were being watched, and had a pretty good idea by whom. He noticed Goliath looking about towards the high ledges of the weyr bowl.

_Goliath, are we being watched?_ James asked.

_Yes,_ Goliath responded without hesitation.

_By the other hatchlings?_

_Um...no, actually._

James picked his head up, slightly perplexed by Goliath's tone. He looked about the ledges, where there were a few dragons resting outside of their weyrs. Three of them- two browns and a blue- were looking at James and Goliath with that curious look that he had began to grow accustomed to. It was still irritable, all the same.

_Why do dragons keep staring at me like that?_ James asked, slightly terse.

_They like you,_ Goliath said. _But you are mine._ He bumped James' chest with his side.

_What is it about me they like?_ James asked, returning the gesture by slapping the dragon's side heartily.

_...not sure. I guess they like the way you smell._

_Oh? And how do I smell?_

The young dragon turned in the water and sniffed at him. _Spicy._

***************************  
"...that's what Kilith said he smelled like," P'rad said to the Weyrleaders. They found him in the kitchen caverns later that morning flirting with one of the female workers, much to Janissa's annoyance. "I never bothered to ask why; I've been busy with other things."

"So we've noticed," D'marcus said with a disapproving glare aimed at the brown rider across the table, for his careless mischievous behavior. P'rad didn't seem too affected by the glare as he sipped on his _klah_.

"He didn't talk much," he continued unperturbed. "The one thing about him that really got my attention was that he doesn't know who his family is. Quite frankly, he's as much of an enigma to himself as he is to other people."

"I'm sure there are lots of people on Pern who don't know who their parents are," Elizabeth said. "What makes this one so special?"

"Aside from the fact that dragon's keep looking at him curiously?" P'rad asked, straightening up in his chair, and his voice going slightly serious. "It isn't every dragon, mind you, but there is a good number of them that are always staring at him for some reason. Whether or not their riders notice when they do is an entirely different matter altogether."

"Any reason why they take interest in him?" D'marcus asked.

"I'm not entirely too sure, to be honest. I've asked Kilith to bespeak to any of the other dragons that have watched him. They all told him the same thing he told me: He interests them. Though I don't think any of them were close enough to sniff him to make the same assumption about his smell."

"Now, why would he smell spicy?" D'marcus muttered to himself.

"Maybe he ate too many peppers?" P'rad asked jokingly, his impudence returning briefly. He grew serious again. "I really think his life should be looked more into. It can't be pure coincidence alone that he Impressed a silver dragon. I can't really put my finger on it, but something about him just doesn't add up."

"Such as?"

"Well, his name for one. 'James' doesn't even sound like a Pernese name. Mayhaps it's a name he made up?"

"He did say that he wasn't sure of his own name, but he's had it for as long as he can remember."

"That, and the fact that he's only been at Lemos Hold for only four Turns. He wasn't born there, so he must have come from some other hold."

"Not likely," said Elizabeth. "G'ten said he was there at Telgar Weyr for two seven-days, helping out the Headwoman. Apparently, he just kind of showed up out of nowhere, no one even knowing how or when he got there. No one saw him come in or leave. He was just there, and then poof-" she spread her hands out in front of her, pantomiming a poof "-he was gone, two seven-days later."

"Just like that?" P'rad asked in astonishment.

"Just like that. The Weyrleaders didn't even know he was there until after he was gone."

"Now, there's a mystery. But why did he stay at Lemos Hold for so long? You would think that if he were anything like a renegade or a nomad, he would have moved on after a brief stay."

"Were he a renegade, he wouldn't be welcome anywhere," D'marcus said. "According to D'ron and several other people, he didn't even look like a drudge to begin with. I couldn't tell the difference myself."

"I thought the same thing when I first saw him. I've seen drudges that had a build such as his, but it's just something about the way he carried himself that differed from other drudges. His...mannerisms and style of speech; they don't reflect the 'drudge' type. Probably from staying at Lemos for so long. They talk and act sort of the same way he does, but he doesn't have a Lemos accent."

"Maybe he's supposed to have been a dragonrider all along. But how did he not get Searched? We sent Search dragons to Lemos Hold, and they came back with a fosterling."

"You think he has some kind of ability that blocks dragons from feeling his presence?"

The two senior Weyrleaders considered this notion. "Could be a possibility," D'marcus said with a smile. "And if that's the case, then this dragonrider is very special indeed. It may be a type of ability that's based on an unknown reaction, considering he doesn't know much about himself. But let's not get too far ahead of ourselves and say that this is the case. Let's keep an eye on him for a while and see what we can find out."

***************************  
"Hey, James!"

James turned his head towards the sound of his name being called as he was getting out of the water. Salen and his green dragon Tanath came towards him, wading through the knee-high part of the lake, and grinning wildly. James' neutral expression didn't change as Salen got closer, but Goliath hid a little behind him. He didn't like the way Tanath was staring at him.

"Wow, now this is a surprise," Salen said, still grinning. "I never would have thought that _you_, of all people, would Impress a dragon. Congratulations."

"Same to you, Salen," James said.

"It's S'len."

"Pardon?"

"My name is S'len. It's my honorary dragon name, didn't you know that?"

James slowly shook his head, his eyebrows raising up in confusion.

"So how did you-" S'len started, but broke off. "Never mind. Anyway, when a candidate Impresses a dragon, they get an honorable contraction in their name, of course this usually applies to males. The females, which are all gold riders, don't get a contraction."

"Why not?"

"I don't know, I've never had a chance to talk to a gold rider to ask that question. So, what will be your dragon name? J'mes?"

James' eyebrows furrowed in puzzlement. "That doesn't even sound right," he said. "I'd rather just keep my name the same way."

"But you're a dragonrider now! You have to have a dragon name!" He followed James out of the water onto the bank where James' shirt was. James, in particular, was trying to keep away from S'len. The green rider was making him uncomfortable by being too close in his proximity, and every now and again James noticed that his eyes kept subtly roaming his torso as he talked. He quickly retrieved his shirt and pulled it on, not wanting to miss any unwanted movements from S'len.

"I...don't think there's any way to contract my name," James said, noticing D'ron coming their way. S'len noticed too, and gave an acknowledging salute. James followed along, not wanting to feel awkward for not properly recognizing someone of importance.

"S'len, James," D'ron said, returning the salute.

"Wingleader," S'len said.

James' eyes widened. So this is a Wingleader? He thought that there was something of importance in the way he was dressed at the hatching.

"Looks like you two did a good job on cleaning your dragons," the Wingleader said, looking at Tanath and Goliath. S'len grinned broadly, showing his teeth. James smiled a little, not knowing how to take such a compliment. To him, being thorough was a routine he was used to; getting praise for it was not.

"Um, Wingleader, shouldn't James have a dragon name as well?" S'len asked.

"And how would you contract his name?"

"Well...I'm not sure."

D'ron smiled. "There's really no need to. His name will do just fine, for now. If you would be so kind as to give us a moment, I would like to talk to him."

"Yessir!" S'len said emphatically, giving another salute. D'ron returned the salute, and S'len turned and walked off, beckoning for Tanath to follow. D'ron gave James a once-over.

"You don't have any other clothes than that?" he asked, noticing James was still in his coveralls with the sleeves tied in front.

"This is what I wore coming from Lemos," James said, shrugging. "I have another set of coveralls in my carisack in the weyrling barracks. The rest of my things are back at Lemos."

"Then we'll have to send someone there to retrieve them. The Weyrling Master, of course, will set you up with riding gear when the time comes. For now, we have to get with Janissa and see about providing some regular clothes. You're a dragonrider now, and that means you have certain privileges. So you'll have to start dressing the part."

Privileges? The word seemed foreign to him. Granted, James knew what the word meant, but he never thought to have any privileges regarding his person. This dragonrider business was going to take some getting used to, James noted. He was about to say something else, when pangs of hunger caught his attention. Surprised, he grabbed at his stomach in reaction.

_Can't be,_ he thought, his eyebrows furrowing in puzzlement. _I just ate half an hour ago!_

"You okay?" D'ron asked, concerned.

"I'm hungry, all of a sudden. It doesn't make sense, I just ate-"

Goliath butted his leg. _That's my fault,_ he said, apologetically. _I'm absolutely starving!_

_Oh, shards! I'm sorry!_ And James knelt down and caressed his dragon, nearly forgetting about the Wingleader standing there.

"He's hungry," James said in way of explanation.

"No need to apologize," he said with a chuckle. "It's perfectly natural. We can talk while you feed him. There are some personal questions I would like to ask you..."

D'ron promptly informed the Weyrling Master later and discreetly that he was instructed to find out as much information about James as he can, so he shouldn't be surprised if the Wingleader shows up during a class to take the young man away. As James fed Goliath, D'ron asked him various questions, particularly about the Impression. James felt mildly comfortable around the bronze dragonrider. He was easy to talk to, and looked almost his age, but there was still reverent respect for the man, for he was a Wingleader after all. He recounted his spontaneous Impression to Goliath, how he heard the silver dragon talking to him through the shell. He purposefully left out the curiosity of the dragons, thinking the Wingleader might have found that snippet of information less than important. James didn't understand it himself, so it was not important to mention. There were other things as well that had happened in the past few days that he didn't understand, and it slightly bothered him.

"It's funny," D'ron was saying, with a bit of a chuckle. "When I first saw you leaping over that wall towards that egg, I couldn't tell that you were a drudge."

"How so?" James asked, thinking back to what Barlen said last evening.

"I can't really explain it. You just...had the look of a rider. Perhaps something else or more, but definitely not a drudge. But looking at you now, you definitely fit the position of a rider. Though how you were not Searched is an entirely different matter..."

"Searched?"

D'ron blinked at him. "You've not heard the term?"

"I have," James reassured him. "I just never fully understood it. The only thing I know about being Searched is when you're picked as a candidate for a dragon hatching." He stopped suddenly as a thought occurred to him. "Dragons hum when eggs are about to hatch, right?"

"Yes?" D'ron said, as if that question needed no merit.

"So that's what that was all about..." James said, more to himself than to D'ron.

"What?" D'ron inquired.

"I heard the humming of dragons before the hatching this morning, and saw dragons flying towards an opening above the hatching grounds." Goliath made a disgruntled noise because James had stopped feeding him to talk. "Calm down, you bottomless pit." James smiled as he stuffed meat into Goliath's open mouth. Goliath made a show of chewing the meat rather loudly while looking right at James.

_Om nom nom!_

The sound effect was so comical that James couldn't help but laugh out loud. D'ron watched for a few moments, smiling. It was always good to hear someone laugh every now and again, and Goliath teasing James showed him that humans were not the only ones with a good sense of humor. D'ron loved his position as Wingleader, and he always made it a point to personally know the riders in his fighting wing, and those who may have the potential to be in his wing. Each of the riders in his current wing, including his Wing Second, were borderline dour people, ready to find the next thing to complain about. The only time they showed any hint of personality was when they were fighting Thread. Perhaps, with any luck and when Goliath was old enough, James might fly with his wing. But what position would a silver dragon hold? He'd worry about that later. Right now he had a task ahead of him. Perhaps he should get the weyr harper involved. Harpers are trained in these matters.

"So about being Searched," D'ron said, continuing the conversation from earlier. "When a potential dragonrider is Searched, that means that the dragons can sense an imminent strength or a specific trait from someone in the area. Those who are Search riders go to where the dragon says the sense is strongest. The Searched individual is then sought out among the people in whatever craft or hold they may be in, and brought back here to attend a dragon hatching so they can Impress a dragon. We've sent Search riders to Lemos Hold for this hatching, and only came back with S'len. Were you at the hold during that time?"

"I was," James said, with a diffident shrug. "What I was doing, I don't remember. Probably cleaning something. Didn't even know anyone was Searched until Sa- er, S'len's Impression."

"That's kind of a first; two from the same hold, albeit with different positions."

Goliath finished eating, and let out a huge yawn showing his tiredness. He laid his head on James' lap, closing his eyelids. James absentmindedly stroked the dragon's head, scratching behind his eye ridges. He thrummed with pleasure, which reminded James of Trisk.

"How long with this last?" James asked, in reference to his dragon's eating and sleeping habits.

"Usually about a month or so, give or take a few seven-days. They won't eat so much then."

"So not the same amount of time as a watch-wher. They take a lesser amount of time to grow."

"You're familiar with watch-whers?" Perhaps he was bonded to one once.

"I took care of Lord Trisel's gold Trisk. She grew quite accustomed to me in such a short time."

"That's not uncommon. Watch-whers can become attached to multiple people, but still be bonded to one. They're not like dragons, who only have one life partner. That isn't to say that a watch-wher won't attach to one person for life; it depends on how strong the bond is. Rumor has it that they are able to re-bond to another person."

"Really now?"

At that moment, Headwoman Janissa passed by their area of the bowl where James was caressing Goliath in the grass. She stopped as her sharp eye noticed James' clothes.

"If you're going to be a dragonrider, we can't have you dressing like that," she said sternly without preamble. Her strong voice woke Goliath, and he regarded the woman. "Haven't you any other clothes?"

"Um, just another set of coveralls," James said, shrinking a little under her intense gaze.

"We were getting ready to come see you about that," D'ron said, getting up.

"Well, it's a good thing I happened along then, right?"

"Most indeed it is. Could you please find him some decent clothing befitting of a dragonrider?"

"I most certainly will! Come along, you two." She gestured peremptorily at James and Goliath to follow her, and led them to a large closet in the back of the kitchen caverns. Opening a glow basket on one side of the closet, she began rummaging through chests, bins, and hangings for decent clothing, all the while muttering to herself. She glanced at James, mentally measuring his sizes, and what color clothes he might like. James looked around the room, noticing half the walls were lined with garments of all kinds and colors. His eyes settled on a white long-sleeved shirt between a yellow and dark blue one.

_Nice shirt,_ he thought to himself.

"Now that I get a good look at you," Janissa said. "You don't look like a drudge at all...I mean before you Impressed, that is." She handed him a pair of brown leather trousers and a loose green shirt and a black tunic. James wondered how many times he would hear people tell him that before the month was finished.

"Try those on," Janissa said. James looked at her a little startled.

"Now?" he asked meekly, aware of people in the kitchen cleaning around.

"Yes, now!" she said, in a voice that required no argument. James glanced around the kitchen and the adjoining dining cavern, very much aware of the women there. Some of them were watching him discreetly while they worked. Janissa looked around too, noticing what he noticed.

"Hm. I see the dilemma," she said, moving away from the closet. "Go on inside, and let me know when you're done." James walked into the closet, but Goliath was stopped by Janissa.

"You wait out here," she said sternly. "There isn't enough room for you in there. He'll be back out when he's finished."

Goliath warbled piteously and looked at James. James smiled and reassured the dragon that he was going to be out shortly. James closed the closet door and changed clothes, knowing as he did that the colors she picked out for him contrasted each other greatly. He opened the door to let Janissa have a look at him.

"...I don't know," she said at length. "Those colors contrast each other."

_Really?_ James thought sarcastically, an annoyed look crossing his face.

"Well, we'll just have to find something else." She walked back into the closet and started rummaging again.

"If I may," James started, hesitantly. She turned towards him.

"Yes?"

James grabbed the white shirt on the wall. "This shirt would go great with these trousers, though I'd rather not keep the tunic."

Janissa took the shirt and held it close to James. "Well, gracious goodness. It does go with the trousers. But why not keep the tunic?"

"I feel frumpy in it."

"Really now? Well, then I'll give it to someone else." He took off the tunic and handed it back to her. She put it away and dug around for more clothes, undergarments, and a nice pair of soft, black wherhide boots, that were amazingly his size. "And I'm ridding you of these coveralls-" and she snatched the garment from the ground. "-and your other ones in the weyrling barracks. Bring them to me later when you've settled everything to your liking. Be sure to hurry; I believe the weyrlings have a class this afternoon, and Master Sinadar doesn't like anyone being late to his classes."

"I will, thank you," James said, turning from the closet with Goliath. A sleeve from the white shirt was dangling loosely from the pile in James' arms, and Goliath sniffed at it.

_That's a funny smelling shirt,_ he said. _Smells spicy, like you._

James looked at his dragon. _Like me? That's odd._ He maneuvered the pile so he could sniff at the shirt. _I don't smell anything._

_Your nose isn't as sharp as mine._

_Showoff._

Later that night, after the dragons were fed for the final time and everyone had settled for bed, James stayed awake, standing in the entrance towards the barracks overlooking the bowl. He had on the white shirt that attracted him and a pair of black leather trousers that came from the rest of his things picked up from Lemos Hold. The shirt felt comfortable, and was actually a perfect fit, something he didn't think about until now, which he now found rather odd. His mind overturned the day's events. Everything seems to have happened so fast in such a short amount of time, especially now that he has his life partner with him. His past was a mere thing compared to the love he has for his dragon, no matter what color he is.

_I'd probably be the object of much scrutiny,_ he thought. He pressed his fingers behind his right ear as he felt a faint throbbing; probably an after effect from earlier that morning, so he dismissed it. But it did provide another mystery for him to ponder. It seems that many strange thing have begun happening to him in the past few days, things that made him question about himself. He'd often wondered what his past was like, but never really put forth the effort to find out, opting to do a lot of work instead of thinking about useless life details.

A nudge at his elbow caused him to look down. Goliath was there, rubbing his nose against James' elbow. James scratched Goliath's eye ridges lightly, smiling as the dragon crooned softly.

_I didn't wake you, did I?_ James asked.

_No, I was just wondering where you were. I did not see you sleeping in your cot, so I came to find you._

_I'm not going anywhere. I just needed to think about some things._

_So I heard. You do not know much of your past._

_Yeah. D'ron said I have an opportunity to find out about my past now, since I'm a dragonrider._

_I like the Wingleader,_ Goliath said._ He talks smooth._

James cocked an eyebrow at the dragon._ I suppose,_ he said. _Let's go back inside and go to sleep._ They turned from the entrance and made their way back to their cot.

**************************  
There! Finally done with this chapter. It took me a while, because I had to finish my classes, from which I graduated (woo hoo!). I was kind of preoccupied with other things as well that took up my time. I tried to keep Pernese texture in this chapter, but I don't know how it turned out. Let me know how you like it.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I still own nothing. I hope Todd McCaffrey writes another book to the Pern series.

**Chapter 5**

The girl was nervous as she entered the hatching ground. The queen dragon was seated on a ledge above the eggs, her whirring orange eyes intent on the candidates as they entered the grounds. Dragons were sitting on the ledges high above the grounds, humming encouragement to the eggs that were rocking gently in the sands. She fought the urge to turn and run, impossible as it was with the other candidates behind her, and every eye in the viewing stands focused on them. As though sensing her nervousness, her brother, who was also Searched, laid a comforting arm around her shoulders.

"Don't worry, little sis," he whispered in her ear. "Everything will be fine."

He quickly let her go and joined the other boys that were surrounding the eggs opposite her. She gulped and followed the group of girls as they surrounded the queen egg that was set off to the side, away from the rest of the eggs. The egg was huge, taller than the tallest girl in the group. It didn't help much that she was the shortest. Having come from a minor hold of no significance, people of her ethnic group were known for being short. She didn't think herself as much of a looker; long, dark, straight hair, coal black eyes that seemed thin and slanted slightly inward, thin black eyebrows, and light skin that had a slight yellow tinge. Her brother was nearly identical to her, except he was at least two inches taller than her, his hair was short and slicked back, and his eyebrows were a little thicker. Having been fostered out to another hold when their parents had died, her brother acted as a surrogate father to her occasionally, and was very protective of her. She loved her brother dearly, though sometimes it seemed to her that he was a bit overbearing.

The dragon's humming had stopped as the eggs began rocking wildly. Everyone in the audience held their breath as they silently wagered on which candidate would Impress what dragon. Suddenly there was a loud crack in the dead silence as one of the eggs began hatching. She turned her head and watched as a brown dragon tumbled out of the shell, wailing and looking around at the boys that surrounded it, trying to coax it over to them. The little dragon was beginning to grow disheartened by not finding its partner, until its huge eyes settled on a boy with red hair and freckled skin. Letting out a cry of delight, the dragon quickly waddled itself towards the boy, who knelt down and held the dragonet's head, looking deep into its eyes. The first Impression of the night was done as the boy announced the name of the dragon as Charith. Everyone cheered as he led his dragon off the hatching grounds to be fed.

Another egg hatched, and this time it was a bronze dragon that came out of the shell. To her intense relief, and nervousness as well, it was in the group where her brother was.

_Come on, brother!_ She urged silently.

One of the other boys moved to intercept the dragon as it stumbled about, but her brother was quicker still. He moved towards the dragon's right, catching the other boy off guard and causing the dragon to look at him. Impression. She cheered silently with a wide smile spreading across her face as her brother made his way off of the hatching grounds with his bronze dragon named Balath.

A loud splintering sound directly in front of her caused her to look at the queen egg. Shell shards flew as the gold dragon broke its way out of the shell. Shaking with nervous excitement, she watched as the queen fell out of the egg onto her foreclaws. She didn't cry as the other dragons had; she had far more dignity. Instead, the dragon pushed itself up on its shaky legs and looked at each girl in earnest. The girl could still hear the other eggs hatching and the dragonets crying piteously, then triumphantly as they found their life partners, but she was so enthralled by the gold dragon's beauty that she barely noticed them.

_So pretty,_ she thought, awed. The dragon turned its golden head towards her.

_Do you really think so?_ The dragon asked, cocking her head to one side.

_Of course I do,_ the girl said, smiling as she knelt in front of the dragon and looked into her eyes. The joy she felt when she Impressed the dragon was unlike any other joy she'd ever experienced. This was her life; gone was the sorrow she'd felt when she lost her parents. The nervousness and anxiety she had when entering the hatching grounds disappeared instantly. All that mattered was the bond that she had with her gold dragon, Fareth.

James quickly found out that life in a weyr was vastly different from life living in a hold. And for being a weyrling, there was much learning to receive. James learned quickly enough; the other weyrlings were just fairly adjusting themselves. He wasn't used to getting praise from anyone for doing a good job on something, which seemed to happen a lot with the classes. Never having been one to have any kind of privilege for himself, James had a hard time being on the receiving end of gratitude. He found it especially hard to drop his old drudge habits. Though never forgetting that he had a dragon to take care of, James had to be constantly reminded by either D'ron, P'rad, or S'len, whom he made a point to stay away from, that he was not a drudge anymore. Having spent four known Turns as a drudge and suddenly being thrust into the life of a dragonrider was almost too much to bear for someone who was so used to moving about constantly, and doing slave work. Over the next few seven-days, James would periodically find himself cleaning around the kitchen caverns, straightening the commons area, or cleaning the Hatching Grounds. He was easily spotted, of course, since he didn't have his coveralls anymore, and at times he was chased off by Janissa for doing drudges' work when he should be taking care of his dragon, which he did when Goliath wasn't sleeping in the sun with the other young dragons.

Goliath himself was growing nicely. The dragon's muscles were filling out nicely and proportionately, and by two seven-days he was almost the same height of James' head, if not higher, at the shoulder. His wings were still too weak to fly; the Weyrling Master informed the weyrlings that it would be another two or three seven-days until the time would come for them to make their first flight. Their progress depended on how well their riders took care of them. James often found himself and Goliath the subject of many discussions and conversations involving dragons and their riders, and the progress of the dragons' growth. To say the least, according to many people, this was the weirdest dragon Impression yet. Two golds and a silver dragon in one clutch, the latter of which some people were sure the dragon wouldn't live long, due to it not being a "natural dragon". Goliath's growth turned out to be much to the annoyance of a few individuals, like Lord Jaskel.

The Lord Holder was very disgruntled on the progress of James and Goliath. He saw the silver dragon one day on Hold business as James was oiling him, his hide glistening like new metal. As hard as it was for him, he had to admit that James and Goliath were a matched pair. Lord Jaskel stopped as he entered the commons area where the Weyrleader and lady were, their backs to him, reflecting on that revelation. But of course they're a matched pair! Why wouldn't they be?! A mutate and a drudge make a perfect combination! He grumbled to himself as he made his way over to the Weyrleaders.

D'ron and Alania kept close watch on the pair, and consulted with the Weyrling Master on his progress in the classes. The Weyrling Master, brown rider T'nak, was a bit of an old fuss in his fiftieth Turn. He didn't really see what was so important about this weyrling that the Wingleader and the Weyrleaders were so concerned about. The young man was just another fledgling that Impressed a dragon, and had to be taught just like the rest of the weyrlings. If anything, they should ask that brown rider...uh, what's his name...P'rad, since he's been hovering about the lad ever since he became a dragonrider. Why bother the Weyrleaders with such petty detail? These young whelps are hard enough to teach, without them getting distracted! No, there hasn't been anything strange happening with him. Yes, he's learning quickly. Why should I keep an eye on him? Oh, alright. I'll let you know if anything happens.

Alania was just as happy to get away from the old man as to not hear him fuss anymore. Back at Ista, her Weyrling Master didn't complain as much as this one. D'ron wasn't too fond of the man either, especially because he was the same master that taught him when he was a fresh dragonrider not many Turns ago. Even then, the man was still disgruntled, always complaining about how dragonriders aren't what they used to be, and that back in his younger Turns people actually listened to authority. D'ron smiled, reflecting on how he somehow endured the man's tirade, and his many stories about fighting Thread. He was, however, aware that P'rad did hang around James a lot when James wasn't in class, which was perhaps a good thing. D'ron had to take care of his fighting wing most of the time, so he really didn't have time to interact with James. Perhaps the brown rider can coax some helpful information out of him that they can use to find out his past.

After five seven-days, James grew accustomed to the weyr. He still had his cleaning habits about him, but spent the energy cleaning the weyrling barracks or taking care of Goliath. Threadfall came, and the weyrlings had to be shut in the weyr, not being able to fly and flame Thread yet. James got along well with the weyrlings during those long tenures. The two gold riders kept pestering him with questions about Goliath, his hairstyle, how much his skin color complimented Goliath's hide greatly, and any other weird questions. James wasn't used to receiving this kind of attention from anyone, let alone the odd questions they were firing at him. At times he felt somewhat singled out, though on a lesser degree. It wasn't like he was the only dark-skinned individual there; indeed, three others had Impressed a green and two blues. The girls just found him more interesting to talk to.

"Um...why?" James asked them at dinner once.

"Because you're a mystery!" one of the gold riders, Liriel, said. "And you don't go around boasting your rank from your hold, either." She cast a meaningful sidelong glance to a brown rider named T'ledeck, who immediately scowled at her.

"Didn't know I had any," James said, scratching the back of his head.

"You're from Lemos hold, aren't you?" the other gold rider, Kadellin, asked.

"Yes, but I was a drudge there. Drudges don't get rewards for a job well done."

Kadellin's eyes widened a little. "You were a drudge? I thought drudges don't Impress dragons?"

"I didn't think it mattered," James said, feeling a little indignant.

"Wait...so that was you with all of that commotion at the hatching?" James nodded his head.

"I was wondering what all the fuss was about," said Liriel, smiling. "I heard from my father, D'marcus, all that happened. I thought it was very heroic how you rescued your dragon out of that shell before he suffocated."

"Well, I couldn't very well let him die in that shell. It was for my sake and his. I felt what he felt inside that egg, like there wasn't enough room to move around, not to mention much air. So I had to get him out of there before either of us suffocated to death."

"You'd better be careful how you talk about the Weyrleader like that," Kadellin cautioned Liriel. "You may be his daughter, but you still have to give him the respect due his proper rank!"

"Shells, Kadie! Do you have to spoil a good conversation with protocol all of a sudden?" Liriel complained, turning to her friend.

"I'm just trying to make sure you don't get into trouble by someone who might overhear you!" Kadellin protested.

James watched the two girls bicker between themselves, content with not being in the middle of the conversation. In the short time he'd known the two female dragon riders, he was able to pick out certain traits about them. Liriel was the Weyrleader and Weyrwoman's daughter, so there was a constant air about her that suggested being a little too haughty for James, though perhaps not on the degree that she put on T'ledeck, her being quite tolerable despite her incessant ranting. Not that he knew anything about T'ledeck, just that he was a highly favored fosterling from Igen Hold. Kadellin, on the other hand, seemed to be on the more sensible side. Coming out of Benden Hold, she was quite strict at times on punctuality and protocol, and didn't like when anyone of any high status, be they dragon rider, Lord Holder, or otherwise, were not given the proper respect due their rank. The two girls quickly became friends before the hatching occurred, their friendship getting stronger as they both Impressed the queen dragons, Ariath and Serath respectively.

S'len watched James and the two girls as they talked. He felt slightly muddled that he wasn't able to get as close to James as he wanted. Every time he drew close to James, the man would either shirk away, or preoccupy himself with something that drew his attention. James did acknowledge his presence, of course, and spoke to him occasionally, but not for very long. His very presence seemed to make the man cringe, and S'len could not figure out why. He brushed a lock of hair out of his eyes as he watched two other boys he recognized as brown and bronze riders move towards James' table and joined the conversation. James' reaction to them was mild. He didn't cringe, shy away, or busy himself with other things. Why did he not act that way with them? They're close to him, yet he does nothing!

_He is not like you,_ Tanath said. S'len sighed.

_I know,_ he said, somewhat put out. _But what if his dragon flies you?_

_You are thinking too far ahead._

Tanath left many tantalizing words unsaid, S'len noticed. He didn't press his dragon for anymore answers regarding her statement. Instead, he held on to the hope that_ maybe,_ when their dragons mature enough, Goliath might have the desire to fly Tanath. S'len grew quite fond of James in the first few seven-days of becoming dragon riders. He fervently hoped that this simple infatuation would develop further, but the way James reacted towards him made it very impossible. Sure, there were other weyrlings that he found pleasing to his eye, but he wasn't as close to them as he was to James, having known him for four Turns at Lemos Hold, despite his former occupation as a drudge. He justified that as the reason that he couldn't get much closer to James at the Hold, seeing as himself was a fosterling, and the only interactions that fosterlings had with any drudges were to tell them what to do. Even then, he'd had to wonder if James rather enjoyed being a drudge as much to get away from him as to do the work.

Another seven-day passed before the dragons' wings were strong enough to start flying. Winter was coming to an end, and with that, the luxurious greenery that made Igen Weyr habitable was disappearing. All around the bowl there were patches of yellow and brown grass where the heat was beginning to sap the water out of the ground. Spring was not as hot as summer was bound to be, but it was warm enough to cause much perspiration from exertion in any activity. Since spring was just beginning, though, the temperature was not as bad. T'nak hoped to get the new dragons flying before the season was in full effect. That way, when they begin the real training of practicing dodging Thread and chewing firestone, they could move to a cooler location outside the weyr. He wouldn't take them between just yet; this lot were a bit too eager-minded to try anything new and dangerous, so he'd take them through everything slowly and one step at a time.

There was an air of energy about the weyrlings when the day arrived for them to have their first flight. The dragons were all excited, furling and unfurling their wings to give them a good stretch. Their anticipation spread out to their riders as well. They checked and rechecked their riding gear to make sure everything fit, and would not hinder them. The Weyrleaders, D'ron, and Alania were out in the weyr bowl to watch the event. Gameth and Drennath were sitting on the senior queen's weyr ledge, watching the young dragons and bugling encouragement as the excitement reached them as well. Pireth had gone to feed on the far side of the bowl, and Korath was there with her.

"Make sure your riding straps are properly secured on your dragon," T'nak instructed as everyone prepared for their first flight. "Not too snug, not too loose. Your dragon has to breathe, but you need to be secure as well. Make sure your flying gear fits. It would be no use to you if your helmet is falling off of your head during a Fall. Remember: You are only to fly where designated. That is past the Star Stones-" and he pointed towards the Star Stones on the east side of the cliffs, "-around the bowl-" he traced a wide arc with his hand around the top of the bowl, turning towards the west side of the cliffs, "-and back here again." His finger stabbed down at the ground. James briefly wondered if the man could poke a hole in the ground with a finger that gnarled.

"You wait for my signal to fly. Is that clear?" There was a strong chorus of "Yes sir!" from the weyrlings. "Alright then. K'don, you're up first."

Blue rider K'don stepped from the group with his dragon. He adjusted his helmet once more before climbing to the back of the dragon and settling between its neck ridges and securing himself in the straps.

"On my mark," T'nak said, raising his fist above his head and backing up a good pace. K'don grabbed a good hold onto the straps and prepared to fly.

"GO!"

T'nak gave the customary fist pump to fly. The blue dragon quickly crouched, extending its wings above its head, then giving the all important downward stroke that took it airborne with its jump. It beat its wings once, twice, three times, until it gained sufficient enough altitude to angle itself towards the Star Stones while still beating furiously. They climbed towards the cliffs surrounding the weyr bowl, and were soon past the Star Stones, the watch dragon bugling its congratulations as it watched the first weyrling flight. The blue dragon glided around the cliffs to the western side indicated, howling in delight of flying. K'don himself was enjoying the exhilaration of flight, letting out a loud "WOOHOO!" Not that anyone would have heard him at that height, but it felt good nonetheless. He looked towards the weyr bowl, and saw that the Weyrling Master was signaling for him to land. The dragon angled towards the bowl, dipping its wings slightly to decrease its altitude, then opening them again to glide safely down to the ground. It back winged and landed softly in the spot it took off from.

"Not bad, for your first flight," T'nak said, no hint of compassion in his grumbling voice. "Don't think that it'll be fun when you have to fight Thread. Next!"

This time it was S'len who stepped up. He got onto Tanath with all the air of someone who knew what they were doing.

"Okay, sweet roll. Let's see what you got!"

_Sweet roll?!_ S'len thought, shooting the Weyrling Master an incredulous look. He didn't have time to ponder on it as T'nak rose his fist above his head, then gave the signal. Tanath wasted no time in getting airborne. Being a green, she was bound to be smaller than a blue dragon, so she would be more agile, and was able to get off the ground faster than the others. Tanath climbed quickly towards the Star Stones, and was soon sailing past the lip of the bowl and making her round-about.

_Hold on,_ she said to S'len.

_Why?_ He asked, as he took a tighter hold of the straps. The answer to his question came when Tanath folded her wings and pulled a perfect barrel roll. T'nak rose an eyebrow as the other weyrlings behind him marveled at the stunt.

_Just what do they think they're doing?_ James thought, unfazed by the spectacle.

_She is trying to impress me,_ Goliath said, sounding somewhat annoyed. James looked back at him.

_Did she?_ James asked, curious about his dragon's tone. Goliath snorted.

_No,_ he said simply. _She really doesn't interest me._

S'len and Tanath landed back in the weyr bowl, Tanath landing softly in the grass. T'nak's expression remained blank as he looked at S'len.

"Rolling around in the air, doing tricks won't help you fight Thread, sweet roll. Next!"

S'len looked so dejected as he and Tanath walked back to the group that, despite his resistance towards the green rider, James felt a little sorry for him. Unfortunately, words failed him to which he could use to comfort the man. Tanath touched her muzzle on her rider's chest, speaking comforts to his mind. His shoulders seemed to straighten a bit and, smiling, he wrapped his arms around Tanath's neck in a fierce embrace. James turned away from the display of affection, smiling a little. That's why dragon's make such good life partners! Tender moments like these are hard to come by. He looked on as Liriel and Ariath took their first flight, heard Weyrwoman Elizabeth's raucous callings of encouragement as her daughter glided around the bowl gracefully, and landed back on the ground. T'nak merely grunted. He clearly wanted to say something, but to avoid upsetting the Wearleaders he just congratulated her. She and Ariath pranced back to the group, a wide grin on her face.

_Our turn! Our turn! Our turn!_ Goliath exclaimed, hopping up and down when it came time for him and James to take their first flight.

"A little excited, are we?" T'nak asked, as James and Goliath stepped forward.

"I suppose so," James said, grinning sheepishly and adjusting his gear. He was suddenly aware of many pairs of eyes that weren't paying attention to the flights before watching him and Goliath as he mounted on his dragon, and it wasn't just the other weyrlings, either. Taking a casual look around, he noticed many of the weyr ledges had dragons sitting on them, staring directly at the pair. The Weyrleaders must have noticed too, because they fell into a quiet conversation with the Wingleader and Alania. James nearly froze when he saw the two senior dragons on their weyr ledge looking at them, their eyes whirring idly blue.

_We're being stared at,_ James said to Goliath.

_I know,_ Goliath said. _They are all telling us to fly strong, as they did the others._

_I'm sure they did, but they are staring at us extra hard._

_Perhaps you're just being paranoid._

_Let's hope that's the case._

"Are you ready?" T'nak asked.

"Uh, yes sir!" James said, turning his attention to the task at hand. He grabbed hold of the straps as T'nak put his fist in the air.

_Here we go!_ Goliath said as he took a ready stance. T'nak's eyebrows rose a little at the silver dragon's position. He was settled on his haunches, his hind legs crouched and poised to push off the ground. His front claws were slightly apart from each other, his right claw just a few inches in front of his left, but not so far that he couldn't push off the ground with them as well. With his hindquarters in the air, tail pointed straight back, and head dipping slightly, but aimed towards the Star Stones, Goliath looked as if he were getting ready to pounce on an unsuspecting herdbeast. This stance made Goliath's wings tilt slightly forward instead of down as he opened them. James, not sure what his dragon was doing, leaned forward to seat more comfortably on Goliath. It was lucky he did; as soon as T'nak gave the signal to go, Goliath pushed himself from the ground so fast that James would have gotten a whiplash if he was still upright. T'nak let out a startled exclamation as he backpedaled in surprise. Drennath and Gameth roared in astonishment, standing up on all fours. Pireth, who was in the middle of devouring a fat buck, picked up her bloody muzzle at the roaring to see the dragon shoot off from the ground.

"WHHHOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAGGHHHHH!" James screamed as they shot past the Star Stones, startling the watch dragon to rearing up on his hind legs in alarm, and surprising his rider. Goliath banked hard to the left, swinging around the cliffs at such a speed that James let out a high pitch scream, which was somehow heard faintly in the bowl. Blood pulsing with adrenaline, Goliath completed a full circle around the entire Weyr before James could get his mind straight to talk to him.

_Goliath!_ He screamed in his mind. _Goliath! Slow down, or your wing muscles will tear! They're not used to flying at this speed yet!_

_What do you mean? I feel fine!_ Goliath sounded belligerent as he was about to begin a second flight around the bowl.

_You'll be hurting once you stop! Then how are we going to be able to fight Thread?!_

_We will still fight,_ Goliath protested, but he gradually slowed down as he approached the western side of the cliffs. As he entered back into the bowl, he creased his wings and angled towards the ground, shooting towards it at an ungainly speed. Everyone on the ground either instinctively ducked towards the ground, or ran out of the way of the coming dragon.

_Goliaaath!_ James yelled. Goliath snapped his wings open just before he hit the ground, shooting upwards again and angling his body to pull an overhead loop. Completing the loop, he backwinged and settled onto the ground, a satisfied grunt escaping his throat.

_That was fun!_

James, somewhat dazed from the experience, looked over at the Weyrling Master to see what he had to say. T'nak hadn't budged from his position, but his eyes were widened in shock. James looked around at everyone else. Those who didn't run away were picking themselves up off the ground. The Weyrleaders slowly got up from their crouched position, staring at the stranger-than-ever pair. Alania and D'ron, with a very amused P'rad behind them, came walking back towards the fliers after they had ducked out of the way.

James, feeling rather embarrassed at that moment for causing much unneeded commotion, meekly climbed off of Goliath's back. He so wanted to find a hole to hide in to get away from the embarrassment. T'nak was the first to recover.

"Hmm, well yes..." he said, trying to recover his normally acerbic tone. "Just because you have speed doesn't mean you won't get scored. You'd better hope by the First Egg that his wing muscles don't tear. He's far too young for that kind of speed."

James looked back at Goliath, who primly shook himself all over and flipped his wings neatly to his back. He regarded the Weyrling Master with blue eyes, not showing the least amount of strain.

"He looks okay to me," James said, "But I'll double check to make sure."

"You do that. Next!"

James and Goliath walked back to the group, where they were met by D'ron, Alania, and a wildly grinning P'rad.

"Haha! That wasn't half bad!" P'rad said, reaching James first and heartily clasping him on the back.

"Um, thanks, I think..." James said, feeling rather uneasy for that display of aerial antics.

"Hey, don't look so down cast, my friend! We've all made mistakes when flying our dragons for the first time. Trust me; you're not the only one."

"Lay off, P'rad," D'ron said, though a hint of amusement was in his eyes as well. He looked at James. "You didn't plan that, did you?"

James stiffened. "No sir!"

D'ron studied him for a second, a light smile playing on his lips. "Well, no. I suppose you couldn't have." He looked at Goliath, surprised the dragon wasn't showing any signs of strain in his muscles. "You're a strange beastie, that's for sure. Of course, your rider is even stranger-"

"Will you give it a rest, D'ron?" Alania broke in, exasperated at her Weyrmate's tenacity. "The man's a nervous wreck!"

The Wingleader's eyebrows rose in surprise as he regarded James. "I'm making you nervous?" he asked, incredulously. "Come now, I'm sure I don't look that mean."

"Kilith says he's embarrassed about what just happened, and he's afraid he'll be in trouble," P'rad said.

"Don't worry," D'ron said, laying a comforting hand on James' shoulder. "Neither you or Goliath are in trouble. You'll just have to continue practicing just like the others to control your dragon's speed."

Goliath gave a small moan and nuzzled James' cheek with his muzzle. James rubbed his snout, thankful for the reassurance of his friend.

_We can do it,_ the dragon said, fervently. James grinned.

"We shall indeed practice at it," he said, looking the Wingleader in the eye.

"That's the spirit," D'ron said, patting his shoulder. He looked at the rest of the first time fliers. Some had been paying attention to the conversation, and they had diverted their eyes when D'ron looked at them.

"I'll go and settle these lot," he said, moving towards them.

"Old Tannie give you the sharp edge of his tongue?" P'rad asked James after D'ron left.

"Tannie?"

"T'nak. That's what we call him every now and again, though not to his face. He may be in his fifties, but he still has some fight left in him. Don't let his demeanor unsettle you; he's always been like that, ever since D'ron was a young dragon rider. Must have been all of those Turns fighting Thread. All of that firestone residue must have gotten up his nose and into his brain."

P'rad grinned as he watched and listened to T'nak give another weyrling some acid remarks. James looked over his shoulder at the Weyrleaders, who were talking to Liriel and Alania, who had joined them after D'ron left their side to talk to the other weyrlings. Liriel noticed him looking, and gave him a thumbs up sign with an open mouth grin. He couldn't help but grin himself. He rather liked Liriel. Unlike caustic Kadellin or too-sweet S'len, she was a lot more easy-going, and was a joy to talk to.

"Don't get too many bright ideas," P'rad said, draping an arm around James's neck. "I don't think Goliath would appreciate flying a dragon from the same clutch he came from. Though I don't know if he's allowed to fly queens anyway..."

James looked at him. "I wasn't even thinking anything like that!"

P'rad chuckled. "I'm sure you weren't, but one can never tell these days. Alright, alright," he relented, after James gave him a sour look. "By the way, have you ever figured out why the dragons keep staring at you?"

"I was hoping someone could tell me," James said, somewhat relieved that he wasn't the only one to notice the dragons' peculiar behavior towards him. "Goliath said that they might like me because of the way I smell; spicy."

"That's what Kilith said you smelled like when we picked you up back at Lemos hold. Kind of odd, because dragons have a spicy odor when they're clean."

"Might have come from Trisk, Lord Trisel's watch-wher. She sort of has that scent after I clean her."

"Wow, you interacted with a watch-wher? What was it like?"

"Nothing compared to my experience with Goliath here," James said heartily, thumping Goliath's side with his hand. Goliath rumbled in agreement.

"Well, there has to be a reason. It can't just be mere coincidence that the dragons find you interesting. Then again, your name is interesting enough."

"And what's wrong with my name?" James asked, testily.

"Nothing, really. It just doesn't sound Pernese. Where'd you get it from?"

At this, James gave a diffident shrug. "Don't know. I told the Wingleader that I wasn't too sure about it. I've had it for a very long time, so I thought it was the name I was born with."

"It would have been nice if you knew who your parents were. They probably gave you a better name."

"Perhaps."

They watched as Kadellin flew back in on Serath, and was spared T'nak's sharp tongue. As a point in fact, each of the other weyrlings were spared the worst of his remarks after D'ron talked to him. The old man pointed out that D'ron was his student at one time, so he shouldn't let his glow brighten too much, but the Wingleader calmly reminded him that as a Weyrling Master, and a brown rider, D'ron clearly had more rank than he, regardless of his age. And the order came from the Weyrleaders themselves.

"I heard you went to Telgar Weyr as well," P'rad said suddenly.

"Uh...yeah, that was a few Turns back. Hope everything is okay over there."

"I'm sure everything is. Why did you leave?"

James thought for a second. "I don't know," he said. "I don't even remember leaving until I was on a dirt path headed towards Lemos Hold. I remember being there, and I remember working there. I don't remember when or how I got there, or when I left. Everything before arriving at Telgar is pretty much a blur."

"Hm. So why Lemos? Did you plan on going there?"

"No, not really. But Threadfall was due soon, and I needed somewhere to stay. Lemos was closer, according to a few people I ran into, so I went there."

"Well, that's odd. There has to be an explanation for your memory loss. The Master Healer could probably help with that. No offense to the Weyr Healer, but this may be beyond even his expertise. We'll see what we can do about setting up a meeting for you."

"Well, he's as normal as all get out," T'nak said to the Weyrleaders, D'ron, and Alania. "Same as all the other brats, just a little more respective."

_And you're the perfect role model?_ Alania thought, sarcastically. It was supper time, and everyone was enjoying a hearty meal. The dragons were sedated with a good swim and an oil rub, and some muscle relaxer cream concoction that was mixed with numb weed by the Weyr Healer, which he supplied for all the weyrlings in case their dragons felt any pull in their wing muscles. Goliath insisted that he was okay, but James told him that they should be cautious, and rubbed the salve all over the dragon. Goliath grunted with pleasure as the salve worked in places he thought were not affected by his short venture. But now Goliath was asleep among the other dragons in the waning sun, trying to get as much warmth as he could before the sun dipped beyond the horizon.

"There is one thing that I neglected to mention," T'nak went on. "His knowledge of how to rig the fighting straps onto the dragon, even knowing some subtle tricks, is amazing!"

"Just shows how well he listened to you," Elizabeth said. "You taught the others the same way, and they were able to do it themselves."

"But he already knew how to do it, even before I taught them. He was already done with the rigging far before anyone else. Liriel was second, since you taught her, Weyrleader."

"Of course I taught my daughter how to rig fighting straps!" D'marcus stated, grandly. "I knew she was going to be a dragon rider some day, so she had to know!"

D'marcus and Elizabeth were always proud of their daughter Liriel, D'marcus even more so, and boasted about her quite proudly. At times, and especially at Gathers, where Liriel was an accomplished singer thanks to Journeyman Cyric's teachings, D'marcus's boasting would sometimes be the cause of much chagrin for his daughter. Because of his brashness, he was promptly and subtly sedated with fellis-laced wine by his ever-loving weyrmate whenever he began to rant. He must have caught on, because he would sniff the wine before he drank it, a habit that stuck with him over the Turns.

"If I may, I would like to second T'nak's notion," P'rad said. Being D'ron's Wing Second, he was able to sit with the Weyrleaders and the Wingleader at the tables sitting in the large loft above the lower dining tables where the weyrlings and other dragon riders ate. "When I picked James up from Lemos hold, I showed him and the other two drudges with him how to rig the straps, but he was able to do it with no problem at all. It was as if he'd ridden a dragon before. Of course, he didn't know how he knew. He just knew!" P'rad shrugged and spread his hands, as if that settled the matter.

"But how could he not know, if he'd never ridden a dragon before yours, P'rad?" Alania asked.

"Could be something akin to instinct, something else about his past the he doesn't know about."

"Very interesting indeed," D'ron said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. He looked around. "Anyone seen Journeyman Cyric?"

"He's preparing for the Spring Gather," Alania said. "He should be in his quarters. Are you going to get him on this investigation, too?"

"I just might. Harpers are trained in these matters, so it would be fitting for him to know, if he doesn't already. I can't blame him if he doesn't; so much has been going on since the hatching that he hasn't had too much time for himself to get any other matters settled."

"You'd think with all of the hustle-bustle and chatter going around, that he would have heard something already," P'rad said.

"What the harper hears is for the harper's ears," Elizabeth said, quietly. "If he'd heard anything, he's probably trying to sort it out with the Master Harper."

"The drudges hadn't had too much contact with him either, except Barlen, but even _he _doesn't know much bout him."

"He seems to respond to you a good much, P'rad," D'ron said. "You'll have to forgive me, Weyrleader, Weyrwoman, but I cannot garner too much contact with James, what with my having to take care of my flying wing. With your permission, I would like to delegate the task to P'rad."

"Seems like a more logical idea," D'marcus said. "If this pairing is as important as the Master Harper said, then we have to find out what we can about him."

"Since he doesn't remember much about his past, then we will have to find out what we can from those who have had contact with him during his travels. Journeyman Cyric will have to be involved as well; the Master Harper will want to hear about anything that involves a mystery such as this one."

Well, I finally got this chapter finished. Sorry for taking so long. Somehow, it was tough trying to describe an Asian person, but I'm sure somebody figured it out. I had to temper and refine the chapter, as I will do with others, because there were some elements missing that I had to add. Some parts would have been...cryptic, to say the least. Let me know how this chapter holds up. I'll be starting on chapter six soon.


	6. Chapter 6

Enjoying the story so far? I hope so. I'm having a blast writing this. One thing you will have to notice about T'nak: He's a bit of a hardened militant individual, so he will say things that may seem to be belittling to some of the weyrlings. It isn't that he's prejudiced; he's just harder on the boys than he would be on the girls, despite treating almost everyone, excluding the Weyrleaders (and D'ron, to some extent) the same way. The way he was brought up before becoming a dragon rider has him acting this way as well. In his home, boys did hard work outside, and the girls took care of the house with their mother. His father was just as hard on him as he is on the weyrlings. He cares about the weyrlings to a small extent; he only says what he does to develop some sort of thick skin on them so none of them would cry if they get Threadscored.

Also, I'm not writing this story with any intent to harm, disrespect, or be prejudiced towards anyone, regardless of my beliefs. My political views are irrelevant; this story is for entertainment purposes only. Anything that is said in this story is not up for tolerant/intolerant speeches or discussions. What I have written, I have written. If anyone feels that anything said in this story is offensive, then you may discontinue reading. Nobody is forced or coerced into reading this. This is only for enjoyment. I will not, however, apologize for anything that is said, but I will ask that you do not flame this story, or deem it as being hate-filled, or anti-anything. Please do not ruin it for anyone else that intends to enjoy this story. That being said, on with chapter six!  
Disclaimer: I still own nothing but my own characters. The locations are property of Anne McCaffrey and her son Todd.

**Chapter 6**

Threadfall came that next day over the fields, woods, and plateaus near Igen Hold, which meant being cooped up in the weyr again. This time, however, the  
weyrlings were to assist the ground crews in search of any Thread that may have escaped the fighting wing and landed on the ground. After being shown how to properly use the cumbersome flame throwers, the weyrlings mounted onto their dragons and flew the short distance to Igen's plains, where the ground crews from Ista Weyr were just beginning their sweep of the area. The weyrlings landed and dismounted their dragons, K'don nearly falling over with the heavy pack as he landed on the ground. The weyrlings joined the Ista ground crew as they lined themselves up to begin their sweep. As they walked and scanned the area, they chatted amongst themselves, catching up on any gossip anyone may have heard between the weyrs. James easily fell into conversation with the Istan residents, since some of them turned out to be drudges. The rest were weyrlings that were finishing their second phase of weyrling training, whereas the Igen weyrlings were just finishing their first. Most of them were shocked and amazed to learn that he used to be a drudge himself before Impressing a dragon, some stating how hard it was to imagine him being a drudge, judging by his sharp features and his physique. Even when he dissembled to shuffling like a drudge which, to anyone who knew him as a dragon rider already would count that as a very impressive impersonation of a drudge, didn't help to alter their opinion.

"Look, you give a good impression of a drudge and all," one of the drudges said. "but there is no way you could have been a drudge. You're just too...um..." he looked towards another drudge for help choosing the right words.

"I guess what he's trying to say is that you have the look of a...champion, for lack of a better term," said the female drudge. Her round face with freckles reminded James of a spotted ball. "You have the build of a dragon in human form, albeit somewhat slimmer. Looks like you can take on a whole Threadfall by just looking at it."

James didn't know whether to take that as a compliment, or if he should be disturbed by it. It never occurred to him to think of himself as something like that. As far as he was concerned, plenty of hard labor had gotten him like this, nothing special.

_Perhaps you are a dragon in human form,_ Goliath chimed in. _Now, all you need is a pair of wings, and walk on your hands and feet._

_Who asked you for your two half-marks?!_ James retorted, a look of annoyance crossing his face.

The sweep went rather well; Thread had escaped the fighting wings or the queen's wing. The weyrlings mounted back onto their dragons with the flame throwers and were on their way back to Igen Weyr.

_Gameth wants us to land on his ledge,_ Goliath said to James as they approached the weyr. He sounded a little confused.

_Are we in trouble?_ James asked, tentatively.

_No. He says there is someone there that wants to see us._

_Us, huh?_

_Well...you, really. But he wants to see me too._

_Does Gameth know who it is?_

Goliath was silent for a second. _He says it is the Lord of Lemos Hold. What's a "Lemos"?_

James perked up. _Lord Trisel's here?!_

_Who is that?_

_He's the Lord of Lemos Hold, whom I was a drudge for before becoming a dragon rider. He's really nice; you'll like him._

"Again, I apologize for not being here on the morning of the Hatching," Lord Trisel said to Weyrleader D'marcus. They were in his quarters, sitting at the round wooden table in the large, elaborately decorated room next to Gameth and Drennath's room, and sipping on spiced green wine that Alania had brought to them.

"And again, it's okay," D'marcus said with a chuckle. "I'm sure you had your reasons."

"I'd always thought there was something special about James, ever since he showed up four Turns ago. He just didn't fit the part of a drudge, from all perspectives, though he did work like a tunnel snake digging a cave. It was more or less that he...didn't have the typical drudge's look."

"How so?"

"...well you know how most drudges- even ones his size- have this ominous shuffle about them, and the way some of them stoop when they walk?"

"And the fact that they know next to nothing, when it comes to daily living?"

"Well, I wouldn't go that far," Trisel said, frowning a little. "My drudges know a fair amount about some things, despite their appearance. James didn't stoop or shuffle like many of the other drudges. His posture, his appearance was just too well defined. My gold watch-wher, Trisk, took a liking to him immediately. She responded to him better than any of my other drudges, so I wasn't too surprised to learn that he'd Impressed a dragon."

"It was, of course, a surprise to us to be sure. D'ron himself didn't think he looked like a drudge, either. I couldn't tell myself. When you get to be my age, all drudges look the same."

"So, what have you found out about him? Anything special?"

D'marcus grinned wryly. "Aside from the fact that he knew how to rig riding straps properly before anyone ever taught him, or the fact that the dragons all seem to have a keen interest in him because he smells spicy, we haven't found much. We were hoping you could tell us something about him, since you've known him for four Turns."

"Believe it or not, I don't know much, despite the length of time that I've known him," Lord Trisel said, rather sheepishly. "When he arrived at the hold, we were preparing everything for Threadfall, which was scheduled to fall in our vicinity in a few days, so I took him in. No reason someone should be holdless at such a dangerous time, right? Due to me not being there most of the time, I couldn't really have too much interaction with him. My steward was even less successful; he often thought James was a lingering drudge that was trying to escape work."

"A product of his being seventy-two Turns, I'll bet," D'marcus said, still grinning. The Lemos steward was his older half-brother that his father sired from a concubine eight Turns before he was conceived. "It sounds like he's starting to become senile."

"He's been getting sick a good much, too. I had to make some of the announcements at times when I couldn't get anyone else to do it, since he's constantly bedridden." Lord Trisel sipped at his wine thoughtfully. "Have to look into getting me another steward soon, if that's the case. Death usually follows when that happens."

"Death comes to anyone, no matter the age," D'marcus said, referring to dragon riders. "It's just a matter of time when it happens." He looked towards the entrance of the weyr, his eyes going unfocused for a second. "James and S'len just got back," he said, turning back to the Lord Holder. "I told Gameth to tell them to land on the ledge outside."

"Should we go meet them?" Lord Trisel asked, beginning to rise.

"Sure. You wanted to see their dragons, correct?"

"And to properly congratulate them on their Impressions." He followed the Weyrleader out of the room.

James was slightly surprised to see S'len land on the same ledge immediately after him.

"Gameth called you too, huh?" S'len asked, walking over to James.

"Yep," James responded. They walked towards the weyr entrance, wary of the great bronze dragon's dominating presence. Gameth looked at S'len and James with idly whirring blue eyes. Some inner instinct told James to give the dragon a bow. S'len followed suit, wondering what James was doing at the same time, and both were surprised when the bronze returned the gesture with a nod of its head.

"Uh, what was that about?" S'len asked. James shrugged innocently.

"I see you two know how to properly greet a senior dragon," said D'marcus, coming out of the weyr followed by Lord Trisel.

"Lord Trisel!" S'len exclaimed, a broad grin spreading across his face. James nearly adopted his drudge appearance before catching himself. Straightening his shoulders, he greeted his former Lord with a smile.

"S'len, James! Good to see you two. Congratulations on the Impressions of your dragons." He walked over to them and clasped them on the shoulders heartily. "I do apologize for not being here to see it happen; I had some business to handle that was of utmost priority."

"It's all for the greater good, My Lord," S'len said, jauntily.

"Um, ditto," James said, slightly perturbed by S'len's easily swayed attitude. James wondered if he was a kiss-up on purpose or naturally.

"Now, if I may, I would like to see these dragons that have captivated you so."

"This way, M'lord," James said, bowing and moving next to the bowl wall to allow Lord Trisel to pass. They walked towards the edge of the ledge near the stairs where the two dragons were sitting patiently. Lord Trisel marveled at the sight of Goliath, enamored in the reality of seeing a silver dragon for the first time. Having been oiled that morning before Threadfall, his hide was still shiny as the sun glinted off of it.

"You two have been taking really good care of your dragons, I see," he said, examining Tanath as well. He noticed that they were both nearly the same height, Tanath being just half an inch taller than Goliath. S'len put on his wide grin again, feeling very superior at that moment. James just smiled a little, still somewhat not used to receiving compliments. Tanath sniffed subtly at Lord Trisel while he examined Goliath.

_He smells like orange fruit,_ she said. _Can I lick him?_  
_No, you can't lick him!_ S'len exclaimed alarmingly, the wide grin replaced by a look of utter astonishment towards his dragon.

"They are quite healthy, that's for sure," Lord Trisel said, walking back over to the dragon riders.

"Two of the healthiest out of the whole bunch, outside my daughter's" D'marcus said, proudly. "Would you believe that many of the people at the hatching didn't think that Goliath wouldn't survive more than a few seven-days, because he 'isn't a natural dragon', as they said?"

"And what makes them have such a notion?" Lord Trisel asked, a little annoyed for such blasphemous remarks. "He looks like any other dragon to me...aside from his hide color, that is."

"And that's exactly the reason why. You'd have to wonder: When has there ever been a dragon with a silver hide, or any other color? In a way, those that made the remark had good reason to feel the way they do, having never seen anything like this before."

"Yeah, but they could have gone about it smarter than how they reacted initially."

"We didn't take it lightly at the meeting, I assure you," D'marcus said, wryly. "Lord Jaskel was being his usually sour self; he was even more when he witnessed James Impress Goliath."

"Figures," Lord Trisel said, with a light grin. "That man can be dour in the most happiest of occasions. The only time he's happy is when he's sad."

"Who's Lord Jaskel?" James whispered to S'len. They were standing out of earshot of the Weyrleader and Lord Holder as they talked.

"He's the Lord of Telgar Hold," S'len whispered back. "A very caustic individual indeed. You, in particular, might want to stay away from him. Word has it that he is not happy with you Impressing Goliath."

"Why is that?"

"He's very big on tradition, and allows no room for change. So it didn't sit well with him when he learned that a drudge had Impressed a dragon, and one that's the 'wrong color'."

"So he hates drudges?"

"Well, it's not that he hates drudges, or much of anyone; it's just that he wants people to know their place in life. You should see the way he treats his drudges! You're lucky you wandered to Lemos, instead of there. His fosterlings have it no easier, and his son hates him, especially since he refuses to accept his son's position as a blue dragon rider."

"Wow. Wonder how his Lady Holder deals with him."

"That's another thing; he's never married! Understandably why, of course. Nobody knows who his son's mother is, except the both of them, but they refuse to talk about her. That makes his son an illegitimate."

"If I may ask, does Lord Jaskel's son have a name?"

"His name now is J'sen, but it used to be Jasen."

That name struck a familiar chord with James. He was sure he'd heard that name before, but couldn't remember where. The thought must have shown on his face, for S'len was looking at him inquiringly.

"Something wrong?" he asked, still in a whisper.

"Never you mind," James answered back. They turned their attention to Lord Trisel and the Weyrleader approaching them.

"So how do you two enjoy being dragon riders?" Lord Trisel asked.

"It's great!" S'len exclaimed. "We had our first flight yesterday, and it was fun!"

James subtly rolled his eyes at that statement._ Assuming you want to define "great", as in your dragon trying to seduce mine, he thought._

_As you can see, it didn't work,_ Goliath said, smugly. James carefully hid his grin, mastering it by listening to S'len ramble on about his first experience on a dragon.

"And you, James?" Lord Trisel inquired.

"It's something to get used to, that's for sure," James answered. "Don't know if I can recall experiencing anything like this."

"Yes, I'm sure it will take you a bit to get used to doing something different from drudge work. Which reminds me, Trisk's been missing you greatly."

"Trisk?" The thought of the gold watch-wher saddened James a little, for he had not much time to think about his gold friend.

"Yes. For the first few days you were gone, she would neither eat or drink much, and she would spend countless hours wailing towards the sky, hoping you would return. The image of your body heat all but dominated her mind whenever I was able to talk to her. After two seven-days, she got worse. She lost a lot of weight, and she got sick. Luckily, it was just a small stomach virus from not eating, according to the Master Wher Handler, and nothing like the plague during Lady Moreta's time." The Lord Holder shook himself at the thought of losing his watch-wher to that infamous plague. "Since she wouldn't respond much to any other drudges, I had to take time from my duties and tend to her. She's gotten healthier, but I don't think she'll fully recover until she sees you again."

James had been listening to every word the Lord Holder said. He let out a shuddering sigh while trying to keep from crying. He missed her so much. Goliath's crooning nearby brought him out of his sadness.

"My Lord," James began, choking down his sorrow. "As much as I want to go visit the hold and Trisk, I cannot travel that far yet. Our dragon's wings are not strong enough to make any long distance trips, neither can we go between yet. The Weyrling Master will teach us that soon. I shall endeavor to come and see her when I am able to perfect these skills. I made her that promise."

"I will let her know," Lord Trisel said, laying a firm hand on James' shoulder. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I must take my leave. I have some pressing matters to attend to, after I see to Trisk." He looked towards the far end of the ledge where a brown dragon and rider were waiting to convey him back to Lemos hold.  
"S'len, James, congratulations and good luck. I'll see you at the Spring Gather."

S'len and James bowed low to the Lord Holder, wishing him a safe journey back. As the dragon took off, S'len and James turned towards the Weyrleader, who regarded them with interest.

"You two should get to the Weyrling Master now," he said, softly.

"Yes, Weyrleader," they said in unison. They mounted their dragons and glided down to the weyr bowl.

**************************************  
At the Harper Hall inside his private study, the Master Harper of Pern, Bannis, was studying a piece of music that his Music Composition Master had just finish creating for the Spring Gather which was to be held at Benden Hold soon. The stretched wherhide sheet was comprised of the most complicated notes and beats that he'd ever seen, and yet the timing on each scale was accurate. Sometimes fast, sometimes slow, the beat offered a pulse that the Master Harper found himself idly tapping his finger on his sand table to. He looked up at the Composition Master.

"How in blazes did you come up with something like this?" he asked, brandishing the pamphlet in front him. The Composition Master grinned.

"You like that?" he asked.

"'Like' it?" The Master Harper exclaimed. "My dear Roderan, this piece is immaculate! You've really outdone yourself this time."

"I'd have to give credit to my apprentice on this one," Roderan said, secretly proud of his student. "It's just a modification of a musical piece that he'd been working on. After listening to his original work, we went over it together and modulated a few chords. The beat was added later when it was decided that the original one would not suffice."

"Even if the beat weren't there, you could still hear it in the chords."

"That's how we got it. The beat to his original piece was at a steady tempo. With the change in the pace at the second and third strikes, everything comes together."

"From the way it sounds, it seems to be a tune one can dance to, assuming they're light on their feet. Have you any more like this?"

"We could make some more. We're in the process now of working on two more pieces, one a little slower than this one, but the beats are still complex."

"And will they be in time for the Spring Gather?"

"Indeed they will, Master Harper."

"In that case, there's no need for us to waste anymore time." He handed Master Roderan the music back just as a knock sounded at his door. "Come in!" The door opened and Journeyman Cyric stuck his head in the room.

"Ah, Cyric! I was just wondering when you would arrive. Please, do come in." Journeyman Cyric closed the door and sat down on the couch along the wall.  
"Were you able to accomplish your mission?"

Cyric hesitated. "...yes, and no," he said. "I saw him, but I was not able to talk to him. I kept getting distracted by my duties to the weyr, along with preparing for the Spring Gather."

"Yes, that will occupy one's time, when other matters need attention. No matter; there's plenty of time for you to get a chance to talk to him. In the mean time, I'd like for you to look over this musical piece. It seems to fit your gitar playing skills." The Master Harper indicated for Roderan to hand the music to Cyric, who took it and began looking at it inscrutably, then with much interest. He unslung his gitar from around his body, and idly plucked some of the gitar chordings.

"You created this, Master Roderan?" he asked at length, looking up at the Composition Master.

Master Roderan, who had been wondering like mad who Master Bannis and Cyric had been talking about, jolted on his stool when he realized that Cyric was talking to him.

"Y-yes..." he stammered. "Um, Master Harper, if I may be so bold to ask, what 'he' and 'him' were you talking about?"

"Oh, never you mind," Master Bannis said, dismissively. "In due time, all will be revealed. But if you please, Master Roderan, I'd like to talk to Journeyman Cyric alone. I'll have him send your music back to you when we are done." The Master Harper only used proper rank when there was important matters between himself, and whomever he needed to talk to at that moment. Master Roderan stepped down from his stool, bowed to the Master Harper, and left the room, closing the door softly. Master Bannis looked over at Cyric, who was still studying the musical piece, and unconsciously tapping his foot to the beat.

"Interesting piece, no?" he asked.

"Very," Cyric said, lowering the sheet. "If only there were words to go along with it."

"With something as complicated as that? I'd be surprised if it could go along with one of the Ballads."

Cyric shrugged. "Maybe it doesn't have to. This is a new piece of music, so why can't the words be new also? I mean, it's good to have traditional music at a Gather, especially to remind people of heritage and important events in life, but sometimes changes can have an even greater effect on people, though it depends on how people take it. If anything, it keeps things interesting."

The Master Harper considered this notion as he rubbed his white bearded chin thoughtfully. He gave a good-natured grin to Cyric. "You are quite right, you know," he said at length. "There are those among us who do not take kindly to change. Need I mention any of them?"

"No need, Master Harper, I know perfectly well of whom you speak." He returned the knowing grin. "I've spoken with the Igen Weyrleaders. It turns out that they were on the same mindset as yourself. They've enlisted my help in finding out more about James' past, so I'll be assisting one of the other dragon riders in doing so."

"Which one will that be?"

"The brown rider named P'rad."

The Master Harper let out a bark of laughter. "The Drudge Whisperer? How ironic!" he said with a hearty laugh. "And yet, also very appropriate. The man has an uncanny way of sifting out information from drudges. Always had, since he was younger down at Fort Hold, getting into all sorts of mischief. His father didn't know what to do with him! He said, 'That boy is going to be either a dragon rider, a harper, or a runner. He has to put his energy towards something productive than giving me gray hairs!' It'll do you good, Cyric, to pay attention when he does talk to the drudges. Not only could you learn something from him, but they might know something useful in this situation."

"Will do, Master Harper," Cyric said. He was grinning about the name Master Bannis mentioned about P'rad. "Drudge Whisperer? Really?"

The Master Harper laughed again. "It's been his nickname ever since he was little, always knowing beforehand what the Lord Holders would know in time! Of course, he knew when to be discreet; after hanging around harpers for so long, it's no surprise that he picked up a few traits. Now back to the matter at hand. You know to report to me your findings, as well as performing your duties to the weyr. They must know, since he's in their care."

"Yes, Master Harper."

"Also, were you able to finish that other task I gave you?"

"Polishing the song about_ between_? Yes, I completed it. Makes me nervous even playing it. So eerie. Honestly, Master Harper, I really don't see the need for a song about something so...cold, and depressing. Talk about an internal chill."

"There are reasons for everything, my good Cyric," The Master Harper smiled to ease the tension on the young Journeyman's face. "even those that we find to be more of a problem than helpful, but all things work together for the good of our beloved Pern."

*******************************  
"Listen up, hatchlings!" T'nak said, projecting his voice for all the weyrlings to hear. "Today we're going to kill two wherries with one pebble! We're going to teach your dragons how to chew firestone, as well as go _between_!"

The weyrlings, excluding Liriel and Kadellin because queens can't chew firestone, cheered in utter delight in prospect of doing something different, until T'nak impatiently called them to order.

"Now, don't go getting too excited! We're going in short distances, so your dragons can get used to going in and out of_ between_. I'll not have ANY of you getting lost in _betwee_n, so you WILL follow my EXACT coordinates, is that clear?!"

"Yes, Weyrling Master!"

"There is a clearing near the Southern Boll where I have dragon riders there waiting with firestone to teach your dragons how to chew it correctly, and swallow it into the correct gut. Listen to them; it'll do you good, got it?!"

Despite the disparaging remark, the weyrlings gave another "Yes, Weyrling Master!" before mounting their dragons. No one noticed James bristle when the Weyrling Master mentioned _between_. It brought back the memory of when he was on Kilith, on the way to Igen Weyr from Lemos Hold. There was something about that dimension, something oddly familiar, pulling at his every nerve. Just the thought of that alone was enough to make Goliath grunt in frustration and rear his head up, startling James out of his stupor.

_What was that all about?!_ Goliath exclaimed nervously, his eyes turning yellow.

_Sorry,_ James said, patting his dragon on the neck reassuringly. _I was just thinking about my first time going between on the way here from Lemos Hold. It was odd; there was something very familiar about that place, as if someone or something was calling me._

_Well, try not to follow the voice when we go _between._ I am not losing you._

_Don't worry,_ James assured his dragon, giving him a hug. _I'm not leaving you._

Their attention was pulled towards T'nak giving the signal to fly. All the dragons lifted off the ground simultaneously, and angled towards the Star Stones.

_Got it,_ Goliath said suddenly.

_Got what?_

_I just got the first destination of where we need to go from Madith._

_That's T'nak's dragon, right?_

_Yep._

They looked ahead and saw the Weyrling Master give the signal to go_ between_.

_Ready, James?_

_As ready as I'll ever be..._

_Then here we go!_

The darkness of_ between_ enveloped them like a thick blanket. All at once the familiar nerve pulling that James felt the first time he went between enveloped him once again. His mind nearly began to slip, when he felt Goliath's mind touch his.

_Be strong. I am here with you,_ he said.

James desperately clung to his dragon's mind, determined not to slip away o the void of nothingness.

_I will not let you go,_ Goliath said.

_Nor I, you,_ James answered back.

It seemed like a long time before they came out of _between_, but the reality set in as they all glided down to the patch of grass in a forest clearing, and they found out that they weren't in _between_ for very long.

"Here is our first stop!" T'nak said in his overly acerbic tone. He figured this would be an opportunity to be himself again, without the restrictions of the weyr. He felt that at times the weyr's pampering was weakening the growing dragon riders, which would not make them strong enough mentally to fight Thread. Hence, his militant style of operations.

"Give your dragons time to relax, before we go to our next destination. We've got five more hops ahead of us, and I don't need anyone tiring out on me too quickly! You're only getting fifteen minutes, so make it count!"

Kadellin took this time to go talk to James. She noticed how disturbed he looked when he and Goliath came out of _between_.

"You okay?" she asked, settling on the ground next to him and Goliath.

"Uh, yeah," he said, still slightly cold from _between_. His jacket was off, and he was trying to get as much of the warming sun as possible. Kadellin grinned.

"First time in _between_?" she asked.

"Not technically. Isn't it yours?"

"No. My father, Lord Lenus of Benden Hold, used to take me with him on Hold business, and we'd always go a-dragon back. It was so scary the first time I went! But it was also exhilarating. I felt so cold and lonely in that place, especially because I was so small back then. I was about eight Turns."

"What dragon did you fly on?"

"We flew on bronzes," she said, rather smugly. "Being in one of the best holds on Pern has it's advantages."

"I heard tale that Fort Hold was the best on Pern." James couldn't help teasing her.

Kadellin scoffed. "Fort's just the oldest; just because it's next to the Harper Hall doesn't make it the best!"

"I suppose..."

"They do have good music though, I'll give them that."

"I take it you've been to Fort?"

"Plenty of times, mostly around Gathers. But this Turn Gather's going to be held a Benden, so it's bound to be grand!"

James decided that Kadellin was rather overly fond of her Hold. He wasn't sure whether that was a good or bad thing, but at least she was passionate about something. They talked for a little longer, until T'nak ordered everyone to gear up again. They went through the last five jumps, at one point landing on the beach. The dragons were all excited at seeing so much water to splash around in, but Madith's roar called them to order. The last jump took them to another clearing that was almost completely devoid of trees, except for a few bushes set off to one side. The ground was patchy with grass and sand, and a low cliff range towered over the area. It was here where the dragons and riders were directed. As they neared the cliffs, they were able to make out the shapes of dragons and their riders, who were holding bulging sacks next to them. James looked down and saw one of the riders waving to him.

_It is Kilith and P'rad,_ Goliath said. _They want us to land next to them._

James was mildly surprised that Goliath actually called P'rad by name. Dragons usually don't call out people by name, other than their own riders.

_I heard his name enough times to remember it,_ Goliath said in response to James' silent query, which was yet another surprise to him. He kept that thought hidden from his dragon.

"James, how's it going?" P'rad asked in his usual jaunty tone and displaying a wide grin as James dismounted. James couldn't help but grin back. P'rad was always a good friend to have around. His easy going attitude was a big difference from any of the other dragon riders he talked to, whose attitudes were indifferent at best.

"I'm doing good," James said, taking off his helmet and riding jacket. The area was pretty warm, due to being almost barren. The other weyrlings did the same. James' eyes fell on the bulging sack.

"What's in there?" he asked.

"You'll find out in a bit," P'rad said. He looked towards the ground where the two queens were settling. Liriel and Kadellin dismounted and quickly fell to talking among themselves.

"Those two are growing nicely," P'rad said. "Too bad queens can't chew firestone; they'd be a big help in the fight against Thread."

"Why can't they chew firestone?"

"Dunno," P'rad said with a shrug. "It was once said that's how they were created."

"Created?"

P'rad shrugged again. Their attention was drawn towards the front as T'nak began talking. He explained to the weyrlings that the dragons were going to teach theirs how to chew firestone, and store it in the correct stomach to use against Thread, so it would be in their BEST INTEREST TO PAY ATTENTION!

"You sure that's just his personality?" James asked.

"Yep," P'rad said with a sigh. "It's how he was brought up."

"Must have been a tough life."

"Tell me about it. We have to listen to him almost every day. Imagine how Wingleader D'ron must feel." He reached inside the bag and pulled out an ashy gray stone about the size of his fist.

"This is firestone," he explained. "When dragons chew this and swallow it, it reacts to something in their stomachs that produces the flame when they burp. Kilith will show Goliath what to do."

He handed the stone to Kilith, who took it in his mouth and began chewing it rather loudly.

_Seriously, Kilith?_ P'rad asked, a half annoyed, half amused expression on his face.

_What?_ Kilith asked innocently, as he swallowed the stone into his second stomach.

_You get that, Goliath?_ He asked.

_Got it!_ Goliath responded. _I'm ready to try now, James._

James reached into the sack and brought out a stone that was half the size of his hand. This he gave to Goliath, who sniffed at it first.

_Smells like dirt,_ he said.

_It is dirt...sort of,_ Kilith responded. Goliath took the stone in his mouth and began chewing.

_Think about your second stomach,_ Kilith instructed. Goliath thought hard about his second stomach and swallowed the stone- only to promptly regurgitate it back up, showering James with firestone pieces and dragon spittle as he was reaching inside the bag for another stone.

"Gah!" James exclaimed, moving away from his hacking dragon. This drew the attention of everyone else, including the Weyrling Master, and the two queen riders on the ground. P'rad's eyes widened in surprise.

_I told you to think about your second stomach!_ Kilith said.

_Bleh! I did!_ Goliath said sternly, looking at the brown dragon.

_Then what happened?_

_It's disgusting! Tastes like ash and sand!_

_It's going to be disgusting! That's why you were supposed to think about your second stomach, to stave off that thought! Try it again._

_You okay?_ James asked Goliath.

_I am,_ Goliath said._ Kilith says to try again._ By this time, the Weyrling Master made his way over to them.

"Here now, what's going on?" he asked.

"We just had a minor setback," P'rad said. "We're giving another shot."

James gave Goliath another firestone, this time a little smaller, hoping it would be easier to not think about. Goliath nervously took it. Since the Weyrling Master was watching, he didn't want to get James in trouble. He chewed the firestone, thought harder about sending it down his gullet to his second stomach, swallowed- and spit it back up again, this time with a tinge of green ichor.

"Well, this is a first," T'nak grumbled, though a little softer than usual, which was more than what anyone had ever heard him speak. "A male dragon that can't chew firestone. And here I though you were normal. Go wait with the queens." He pointed towards the ground, where the two queen dragons were resting, and seemed to be in a conversation with each other. T'nak turned and walked off to instruct the rest of the weyrlings.

James stared after him, perplexed at how someone like him could be so insensitive, just casting him away with a flick of his hand. It wasn't like Goliath didn't try! There must be some kind of explanation to why he wasn't able to chew firestone!

"Don't take that too hard," P'rad said, walking over to James and laying a comforting arm around his shoulders. "For you, that actually counts as sympathy."

"You call that sympathy?!" James asked, mollified.

"From someone like him, yes. Just think about if he really wanted to ruin your day. He'd call you every non-human name this side of Pern, laced with a few choice words for you and your dragon. This is his way of sympathizing, without actually saying it. But you'd probably better get down to the queens, before he has a change of heart."

"Yeah..." James sighed as he turned back to his dragon.

_I'm sorry,_ James, Goliath said, hanging his head low. _I really did try._  
_I know you did,_ James said, claiming his dragon's head and caressing it. _And I'm real proud of you. But we'd better get down to the ground before the Weyrling Master rounds on us again._ He mounted onto Goliath, and they glided down to the queens.

Whew, talk about a long time! I'm really trying to work these chapters, so that's why it's taking so long to load them, but I'm doing my best. As to the comment about Elizabeth, she doesn't have a disease or anything; that's just her body type, despite not being very old. She only claims to be just to tease people with her self-deprecation. And the plot thickens, my friends. I'm starting to wonder how long this story is going to be. We'll find out whenever it ends, right?


	7. Chapter 7

Hello, all. Here's chapter 7.

Disclaimer: I own only my characters.

**Chapter 7**

"What happened?" Liriel asked, when James landed next to them. James hesitated to answer as he got down from Goliath.

"I'm not sure," he said. "When Goliath tried to chew the firestone, he spit it right back up."

_It was disgusting!_ Goliath said with a snort. _My stomach could not keep it down._

"He said it was disgusting," said James.

"Well, it does look like a bunch of dirt and rock mixed together," Liriel said.

"So what now?" Kadellin asked.

"Don't know," James said with a shrug. "I have to wait here with you two until they finish training."

_Does this mean we can't fight Thread?_ Goliath asked, feeling a little disheartened.

_I don't know what's going to happen now,_ James said, rubbing Goliath's eye ridges. _We'll just have to wait and see._

The other dragons finished practicing firestone chewing, including controlling the flames that emitted from their mouths when they burped into short bursts to retain as much as possible for Thread until they need more firestone, and regurgitating the residue in their stomachs so they wouldn't become infected or sick from it. T'nak promptly informed everyone that they will begin practicing fighting Thread later, when the dragons were comfortable with chewing firestone and going _between_ when necessary. Everyone mounted back onto their dragons, and began the six jumps back to the Weyr.

************  
P'rad and the other mature dragon riders jumped _between_ directly to the Weyr, where P'rad was met by Journeyman Cyric as he landed.

"Hey, Cyric," P'rad said with a grin. He only used proper rank when absolutely necessary, much to the chagrin of some of the Crafters and Holders that were not yet Masters or Lord Holders. Journeyman Cyric suppressed a sigh. As much as P'rad was a good friend, and at times a great travel companion, his lack of custom courtesies regarding people of rank at times would be enough to stir even the most patient of people. Cyric began to wonder how he was able to put up with it himself.

"I am a Journeyman, you know," he said.

"And I'm a brown dragon rider and Wing Second," P'rad said, still grinning as he hopped down from Kilith.

"Great shells. Anyway, how did the training go?"

"It went well enough. T'nak was his usual caustic self, even more so now that they were away from the Weyr. They should be back in the next hour or so. He has them jumping between at fifteen minute intervals."

"What about you-know-who?"

"James?" P'rad looked around to see if anyone was listening, despite none of the other dragon riders being around. He beckoned Cyric closer.

"That's a discussion that will have to be kept under wraps," he said in a low voice. "See, outside his color, Goliath is a proper male dragon, but there is one other factor that differs him from the other male dragons: He can't chew firestone!"

Cyric's eyes widened in disbelief. "A-are you serious?" he stammered.

"As a tunnel snake. Believe me we've tried, _twice_. And both times, he spat up the rock. His second stomach just wouldn't take it."

"Oh, this is big. Really big. But we'd better not go telling everyone what happened. There's no telling how this would settle with other people."

"What do you take me for, a snitch?" P'rad asked, feeling a little indignant and placing his fists on his waist. "Trust me, I know when to keep a secret. It's the other weyrlings and dragon riders I'm worried about. They all saw it happen, and no doubt one of them is from Telgar Hold. Should Lord Jaskel or any of the other Lord Holders that oppose their pairing catch any wind of this, there's no telling what they might do."

"Indeed, my good friend. In any case, we have to talk to the Weyrleaders and the Master Harper. They'll be wanting to hear about this strange turn of events."

"First and foremost, we have to get a hold of T'nak, and make sure he tells the weyrlings to keep this under the rushes. They're only too eager to gossip about anything."

"If you would, P'rad, talk to the other dragon riders and D'ron. I'll talk to the Weyrleaders, and T'nak when he comes back. Until we are able to deal with this properly, we must keep this information inside the Weyr and with the Master Harper at all costs!"

************  
"I have to admit, I did NOT see that coming," D'ron said after P'rad explained everything to him.

"I don't think any of us did," said P'rad.

"Do the other riders know?"

"They all saw. I've already spoken to most of them; hopefully word will get passed around to the others that I was not able to talk to, but you can't be too sure with some of them."

"And you said Cyric is going to talk to the Weyrleaders and T'nak, right? Hmm..." He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "This is big, P'rad. Real big. A male dragon that can't chew firestone. What are the chances?"

"Think he's a hybrid?"

D'ron looked at P'rad quizzically. "A what?"

"A hybrid. A...mix between a male and female dragon. Might explain his color, too."

"Where did you get that word from?"

"Master Sinadar was teaching it to the weyrlings one day. I just happen to pass by when he was explaining it."

"I see. Well, I don't know if 'hybrid' would explain any of this, but it's definitely something to keep in mind, along with everything else."

"And away from certain eyes and ears."

D'ron nodded in agreement. "The good thing about Journeyman Cyric is that he knows how to be discreet. The Master Harper taught him quite well, I can imagine."

"As he did with all harpers who spent time at the Harper Hall. At any rate, this is one of those mysteries that will have to be kept to as minimum a people as possible. No need for the whole of Pern to get involved, is there?"

"Indeed not. By the way, when are you and Journeyman Cyric going to start your investigation on James' past?"

"We've decided the best time to start would be after the Spring Gather. It's too close to start anything now, and with everything that has happened up until now, it'll give everyone a chance to relax their minds. Hopefully, by the time it rolls around, the weyrlings will be able to jump as far as Benden."

"Ah, yes. That would be a perfect opportunity, wouldn't it?"

"The Master Healer will be there, I'm sure. I promised James that I would get him an audience. I figured that if anyone can help in this situation, it'd be him."

D'ron smiled. "You're a thoughtful man, P'rad," he said, clasping him on the shoulder. "You'd have made a great Wing Leader had you Impressed a bronze."

P'rad grinned and rubbed his finger under his nose, his impudence showing. "I'd say I've Impressed the greatest brown dragon on Pern. Wouldn't trade him for any other." He turned towards his weyr ledge as Kilith bugled in agreement.

***************  
"Well, don't that just beat all," D'marcus grumbled, after Cyric finished explaining what he knew of James and Goliath's situation.

"It's all that I know from P'rad," Cyric said. "I'll have to send word to the Master Harper about it soon, so I'll need the full report from T'nak when he gets here."

"What are the chances of a male dragon that can't chew firestone?" asked Alania.

"About the same amount of chance that a silver dragon is born," said D'marcus.

"There are, of course, certain people that this information cannot circle around to," said Elizabeth. "One word of this to any of them, and they'll storm this place, demanding answers."

"Worry none, Weyrwoman. We will not give them the satisfaction of victory," Cyric said, fervently. "We are keeping this information strictly inside the Weyr and with the Master Harper, and we will make sure the dragon riders and weyrlings know to do so as well. P'rad is speaking with D'ron right now about it."

"In all, we must bear in mind that James is not an outcast, nor is he to be labeled as one," D'marcus said. "He is still a dragon rider, and we will treat him as such. This will be stressed to the other dragon riders and weyrlings as well."

*****************  
T'nak and the weyrlings arrived back at the Weyr thirty minutes later, T'nak looking more sour than usual now that they were back. He barked a few more orders at the weyrlings, then told them to get ready for their classes with Master Sinadar.

_The Weyrleaders want to see you in the kitchen caverns,_ Madith said.

_What now?_

T'nak grumbled to himself as he made his way to the kitchen caverns. What could they possibly want? To tell him that his face is scaring the weyrlings? He'd had enough surprises for today, especially witnessing a male dragon that couldn't chew firestone! This will be a grand revelation for them to ponder on. Wonder what they will say about this?

T'nak's face was a mixture of surprise, relief, and annoyance in the fact that he was not the first one to tell the Weyrleaders what happened. Just like that Journeyman and P'rad to spout off to the Weyrleaders about everything! Then again, he couldn't really be mad, seeing that he's the Weyrling Master and he has a responsibility to uphold, even if it causes him to miss big opportunities. He had to admit, of course, that Cyric and the Weyrleaders were right that this kind of information should be kept to certain people and away from others, especially those that, although they were about as acerbic as himself, he could not stand to begin with. Those kind were always willing to cast lots on the most insensitive of subjects, and their pious attitudes made it difficult to reason with them. Surely they will be at the Gather as well, unfortunately.

"...and you'll have to tell the other weyrlings as well," D'marcus was saying. "Be sure to let them know to keep this as confidential as possible."

T'nak grunted. "As if that lot knew how to keep their mouths closed. But I will pass the word along."

"Just try not to beat any of them up with your words, okay?" Elizabeth said, grinning.

"Hrrmph."

That night, James laid in his bed, pondering over the events of that day. The other weyrlings, including Goliath, were already asleep. At times, James wished that he could have fallen asleep as easily as anyone else, but it was probably just as good that he didn't sleep much, seeing as it helped him out in times past when he might have been attacked by a wild animal during his times of wandering. The Weyrling master had already bore down on them about keeping what happened with him and Goliath well within the Weyr, or face dire consequences. Not that what any of what the old man said scared James; he was always the quiet sort, knowing when to keep certain things to himself.

Not for the first time, James pondered on how fast his life was moving all of a sudden. Thrust into the life of a dragon rider, paired with a dragon that can't chew firestone- it was too much to take in at once! Of course, he hadn't had too much time to himself to think about it. There was always something going on to keep him too busy to do so, whether it was training, people talking to him, or listening to T'nak's incessant ranting. Tonight, they were able to go to bed a little earlier since Master Sinadar and Journeyman Cyric needed to go back to the Harper Hall for their reports. Now he had ample opportunity at the moment to let his mind settle in to accepting his status as a dragon rider in training, so he did what he would normally do when he had much to think about. He slowly slipped out of his bed, careful not to disturb Goliath or any of the other weyrlings. Finding his trousers, he quietly slipped them on and crept, barefoot and shirtless, out of the barracks towards the Weyr bowl.

The night air was crisp and cool against James' skin, the beginning stages of Spring still carrying the lingering cold of Winter night. He stepped onto the grass, feeling the blades slightly poke between his toes as he walked towards the middle of the bowl. He stretched his arms above his head, linking his fingers together as he seemingly reached for the stars. He took a deep breath and exhaled, slowly bringing his hands down, and bending to grasp his ankles. He pulled his chin towards his shins, stretching his back muscles as he did so.

_Seems like forever since I was able to do this,_ he thought as he straightened back up. He did a few more stretches before he began his techniques. This time, however, it was a series of punches and kicks that gave an illusion to him fighting another opponent. It was very appropriate, considering what was going through his mind. As he practiced, he thought about the past few months, and _between_. He nearly missed a step when he thought about that place. Why did it seem so familiar to him? Unlike everyone else who felt dread whenever they went_ between_ for the first time, he had a sense of longing, as if there was something there he missed. Something, or someone, was calling to him while he was there; he was so sure of it. The calling was sad, almost crying. And the fact that he began to lose touch with reality while he was in there was unsettling. If it wasn't for Goliath, he might have completely gone into it.  
James smiled. He was grateful for his silver companion, whether he could chew firestone or not. They may not be able to fly Thread, but they could be useful for _something_. He was sure the Weyrleaders wouldn't cast them out of the Weyr for a setback such as this one. But then he began to think: Could it have been a mere coincidence that a silver dragon that can't chew firestone chose him? Dragons do not lie on whom they choose as riders, but what if Lord Trisel did not choose him to come to Igen Weyr? The little dragon would have definitely suicided. He'd heard stories from Barlen about hatchlings that could not find a mate, and in despair went between forever. But Goliath would have suffocated first, seeing as that egg he was in was too tough for him to break out of on his own. But why was it hiding in the shadows to begin with? He could only assume, that due to the egg's odd coloration, the egg was considered to be a dud. Pale silver, with swirling gray wisps at the bottom. Seeing an egg like that for the first time, one could rightly assume the egg was overripe. But then he heard Goliath through the egg, talking to him! Felt what the dragon felt! James wondered if this had ever happened to anyone else besides himself.

The sound of falling rock behind him caused him to turn quickly in that direction, poised to attack, but no one was there. The doorway to the weyrling barracks, which was slightly cracked open and was the origin of the sound, was empty. It was only then that he noticed how heavily he was panting from his exertions, his head and torso glistening with perspiration and sweat. The cold air stabbed at his skin, agitating open pores and turning his sweat cool. He welcomed the feeling, letting it soothe his skin and cool him down. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply.

_Better get back before Goliath wakes up and wonders where I am,_ he thought, heading back towards the barracks.

S'len watched James discreetly from under his rushes as he silently made his way back to his bed. He was already awake when he saw James creep out of the barracks shirtless and barefoot. How someone as large as him was able to move about without making any noise was beyond him. Before he noticed James, he had been thinking of what the future held for James since Goliath couldn't chew firestone. When James slipped out of the barracks, S'len waited a few moments and then got up and went towards the door. His first thought was to follow James to see where he was going in the dead hour of the night, knowing that he didn't know too many people in the Weyr. Probably going to bother Janissa about something. He stopped at the crack in the doorway just in time to see James throwing punches and kicks at some unseen opponent. Huh. So he wasn't going to see someone. S'len watched as he threw several punches and kicks, including an elbow. He nearly stumbled in one of his movements, but quickly regained his balance and control. This went on for half an hour; punching, kicking, a few elaborate moves here and there.

_I remember him doing this very often at Lemos,_ S'len thought. _Always something different than the next._

He didn't realize just how much he was leaning on the door jamb, and nearly jumped out of his skin when some loose rock fell away to the ground. He quickly backed away from the door as James turned towards it in a fighting stance. S'len quickly crept back towards his bed and got back under the rushes, his mind overturning what he just saw. It seemed like a long time before James came back through the door, closing it silently behind him and making his way in the dark room back to his bed. He caught a glimpse of a sliver of something that looked like a slightly curving green jewel, but then realized it was Goliath's eye. James must have evidently said something to him, because the dragon's eye closed again, accompanied with what sounded like a tired moan. It took S'len a second to realize that Goliath was yawning.

He lay there in the dark, wishing he knew more about James and his past. Like Lady Cissa, S'len didn't think that James looked like a drudge when he was at Lemos. And like everyone else who thought the same thing, it was very hard to explain exactly what James looked like before becoming a dragon rider. He was a spectacle to be sure; of course, being the only dark-skinned drudge at Lemos could be a reason why Trisk responded to him so well. Not that he himself had any interaction with the watch-wher, only catching fleeting glimpses of her as she pranced about the back courtyard in the middle of the night when he couldn't sleep. Lord Trisel never kept her on a leash, like some of the other holds that had watch-whers. He thought it to be very inhumane and cruel to do that to her. Besides, the courtyard was big enough to fit at least two or three full size bronze dragons, so she had plenty of room to move around in. But what was it about James that Trisk and, from his understanding with talking to the other weyrlings, the other dragons found so interesting about?

Tanath shifted on her high perch, breaking S'len out of his musings. Briefly, he wondered if dragons dream like humans do. And if they do, what do they dream about? These thoughts, and others, turned over in his head until he fell asleep.

*****************  
_Ugh, what a day,_ the girl thought as she slowly made her way across the weyrling barracks to the bathing room. All the other weyrlings had already washed up and were in the dining area eating, but she decided to forgo dinner for a soak in a warm bath. Since those boys were bottomless pits when it came to food, she knew she would have the baths to herself for a while, at least. She purposefully lingered in the bowl so they could finish.

The steam from the bathing room covered her body like a wet blanket as she opened the door, almost taking her breath away until she got used to it. She inhaled deeply, tantalized by the warming mists playing over her face. The baths were constantly kept warm by an underground heating system, and the water continuously rotated through large tubes to keep the baths fresh for next use. The pool itself was situated in the ground and lined with a hard substance that prevented anyone from getting burned by the heating pipes, and was big enough to fit all of the weyrlings, with enough room to move about. Not that she would ever be in the pool at the same time as them; being the only female dragon rider in the weyrling barracks, she wasn't about to risk any unwanted moves towards her. Of course, her brother would be there too, but he could only do so much.

She quickly stripped off her clothes and stepped into the waist high water, relishing in its soothing warmth, and breathing a sigh of relief. She sat on the ledge built along the wall, her body submerging up to her neck, and leaned her head back on the pool edge and closed her eyes. It was such a long day! First, she banged her knee on the flamethrower pack as she tried to heft it onto her back for Thread fighting practice with the queen's wing, then she had to stop her brother from pounding a blue rider into _between_ when he made a disrespectful remark about their parents. Granted, the rider deserved it, but there is a fine line between teaching someone a lesson, and trying to permanently disable them. It seemed to be no time for rest as the Weyrling Master somehow found something for them to do, regarding dragon rider training. It didn't help that he woke everyone up at zero-dark; for Pern's sake, the stars were still out! All of the constant running around throughout the day took its toll on everyone. How the boys managed to have the energy to eat at all was beyond her. A grunt, followed by a beleaguered moan brought her attention back to the present. She turned towards the doorway to see Fareth trying to squeeze in, but her growing body and wings, though folded, prevented her access, so only her head and neck made it in.

_Fareth, what are you doing?_ She asked.

_I want to come in there with you,_ Fareth complained, eying the the water covetously. The girl smiled.

_You already had your bath. I really need one right now, and I'm trying to enjoy it as much as possible before the boys come back._ She reached for the box of sand soap she brought along with her and began washing her body with it.

_Honestly, do we have to stay here with them?_ Fareth asked with a sigh. _They make these loud rumbling noises when I am trying to sleep._

_It's called snoring. Unfortunately, you'll have to get used to it,_ the girl said, dipping her whole head under the warm water quickly and coming back up. She took more sand soap and began washing her hair. _When we become full dragon riders, we'll get our own weyr,and then you won't have to hear it again._

Fareth snorted, her eyes whirring green and blue. _The loudest noises come from you,_ she said stoically, causing the girl to turn to her in surprise.

*************  
_This stinks,_ Goliath said, visibly upset.

_I know, Goliath, but what can we do?_ James said, trying to comfort his dragon. They were back in the area where they practiced chewing firestone, and were now practicing dodging and flaming Thread. He and Goliath were sitting in the plateau, well away from the space where the rest of the weyrlings were flaming the makeshift thread. The flaming part was awkward enough; there were not enough flamethrowers to pass around, since the ones at the weyr were assigned to the workers and drudges, and Kadellin and Liriel were assigned each of their own, so James and Goliath had to sit that portion out. They did just fine while dodging Thread, going in _between_ and coming back out into the action well away from plowing into another dragon, or coming face to face with a strand of Thread, ready to burn through them. Not once did Goliath get hit by any of the small metal balls with a long piece of string attached to it that were catapulted from a higher cliff somewhere above the plateau. T'nak begrudgingly took them along after complaining to the Weyrleaders when they told him that, as a dragon rider, he still needs to learn how to fight Thread. T'nak complained about wasted learning time, and what good is teaching a dragon to dodge Thread, if it can't flame it? Or that its rider can't even borrow any of the other drudges' flamethrowers? They aren't using them anyway! Threadfall is only three days away! Surely, James can borrow one until then! No, I'm not trying to neglect his training. Yes, I recognize him as a dragon rider. No, I do not believe it is a waste of time. Okay! I'll take him!

James could hear the old man's cranky voice from somewhere near the edge of the cliff, barking instructions at the weyrlings as they continued to flame and dodge Thread. The balls were lobbed high enough from the cliff so that the dragons had no trouble keeping out of each others way when they went _between_ and reappeared ready to flame the next one. James watched them, a little jealous that he and Goliath were not able to join them. Then again, he'd already proven that he could dodge better than any of them, with the exception of S'len and another green rider that nearly matched his skill, but that was because their dragons are more agile than any of the other colors, being greens and all. Goliath had grown at least three more feet taller than the greens, nearly matching the size and height of a young blue in the past few seven-days, but his speed and skill of dodging the makeshift Thread belied his size, surpassing that of a green dragon.

Goliath stretched along the ground, laying his muzzle between his front legs. James reached over and rubbed his eye ridges.

_I wish I was able to chew firestone,_ he said.

_We'll still be useful somehow,_ James said, nearly unsure of himself how that would work. He watched the pattern in which the dragons dodged Thread. One of the metal balls bounced off of a brown rider's head, while another one hit his dragon in the neck. T'nak's voice was loud enough to wake a dead man as he berated the rider for being careless, and killing his dragon as well as himself.

_The Weyrling Master is impossible,_ Goliath said, his eyes showing small flecks of pale yellow of annoyance.

_Maybe he doesn't want to see another dragon or rider die from Threadscore,_ James said, shrugging. He observed the flights a bit more, noticing the way they moved about.

_Huh. That's an interesting way of moving_, he said.

_What is?_ Goliath asked, looking at him.

_The way the dragons are moving. It's like a...dance. Watch-_ James got up from the ground, dusting himself off.

_See the way they move about with the wind as they dodge?_ He pointed out the way some of the dragons seemed to move in circular patterns around the falling strands. _I wonder..._

He began moving similar to the aerial display, circling about as he kept his eyes on them. One of the dragons switched directions, and he did the same. Goliath stood up and watched him.

_What are you doing?_ He asked.

_Just watch._

James began moving in the circular pattern faster by placing one foot in front of the other as he walked, and placed his hands in front of him, fingers splayed wide and one hand slightly below the other. He began lithely moving in a figure eight, repositioning his hands every so often, slipping them one over the other, imitating the intricate pattern the dragons were doing. One of the browns dipped under another, and James followed suit, coming up again to resume the circular pattern.

_You try it_, he said, turning to Goliath. Goliath blinked.

_I would, but I have a hard time standing on my back legs for long periods,_ he said.

_Smarty,_ James said, grinning. _Just follow me._  
He began moving in the circular patterns again, Goliath following behind him. He had a hard time following behind James' movements, since being a quadruped caused him to have a gait. His size didn't seem to help matters in the least. James noticed and turned towards him, walking backwards.

_Try placing one claw in front of the other, as if you're walking in a straight line, like this._

He slowed down enough for Goliath to see him place his feet in front of each other, from toe to heel, with each movement. Goliath copied him, and found that the motion made moving easier. James grinned, and resumed walking in the circle, this time moving in the figure eight pattern. Goliath followed, and soon they were moving opposite each other, following the same pattern but at different angles. Goliath pivoted, and lazily swiped his tail at James, who ducked it using the dipping move that the brown dragon did earlier.

_Quicker than I thought, I see,_ Goliath said, his eyes whirring a playful green.

_Ah, so you want to play, huh?_ James said, grinning mischievously. They began circling around each other, switching directions and moving in figure eights, all the while taking swipes at each other and ducking and dodging each. At first glance, it did look like a sort of dance, since they seemed to be moving in rhythm to a silent beat. The dance ended when they both turned at the same time and bumped into each other. They fell to the ground, James laughing heartily while Goliath grunted with pleasure. It was only then that they noticed the air was a bit too silent. There was no longer the sound of flames burning in the air, or T'nak's cranky voice berating a dragon rider. In fact, there weren't any dragons in the sky at all. James quickly stood up and looked towards the cliffs, noticing all of the weyrlings and the senior dragon riders lined along them, their dragons watching them intently. P'rad himself had the widest grin on his face that James had ever seen; T'nak still held his sour demeanor, just without the accustomed scowl. All of the dragons' eyes were whirring green and blue, and there seemed to be a peaceful ambiance to them. Even Madith, whose personality was borderline with T'nak's, had a look of interest towards the pair, his eyes holding a steady blue.

"Well, if creating games and dances for children to play is the Weyr's plan for having you around, then the caretaker must have really run out of ideas," T'nak said, breaking the peaceful silence and giving James a piercing stare. "So while you were down there prancing around for half an hour, some of us were wondering when we could get back to the Weyr!"

"Sorry, Weyrling Master," James said. T'nak harumphed impatiently.

"Stop gawking, and get ready to head home!" he shouted, turning towards the other dragon riders. Everyone quickly geared up, mounted their dragons, and made the jumps back to the Weyr.

*******************  
"So what did the Master Harper say?" P'rad asked Cyric at supper time. They were seated at a table on one of the upper rises of the dining caverns away from any ears.

"Couldn't really get to him," Cyric said, a little muddled. "The Voice Master kept at his ear for the longest period of time. I swear, the man loves to hear himself talk!"

"He probably stands in front of a viewing glass, and does it all the time," P'rad said, grinning.

"You should have seen Master Sinadar; he looked absolutely infuriated! Any longer, and he would have probably picked up the Voice Master and threw him out of the way. He is scrawny enough."

"I'm sure the Master Harper was thoroughly enjoying himself listening to him talk," P'rad said facetiously.

"If the look of intense relief on his face when the Voice Master left was any indication, I'd say he enjoyed the conversation quite well. I let Master Sinadar talk to him first, since his frustration was already apparent."

"What did they talk about?"

"I don't know. I decided to bother the Head Woman for a cool drink, and when I came back the Master Harper was already back in his study, and Master Sinadar was already gone. It was already late, so it wouldn't do for me to bother him while he was in his room."

"Well, there's always tomorrow. It'll be easier then, I'm sure."

"And who, pray tell, is going to take me? Certainly not you. You'll be preparing for Threadfall in the next three days, on top of helping to train the weyrlings. Besides, the Master Harper won't be there all day tomorrow. He's been summoned to Nabol Hold for business purposes. The next two days after that are filled with practicing for the Gather, as well as visiting other holds. Then Threadfall right after that. The best time would probably have to be sometime before, during, or after the Gather...assuming he hasn't downed too much Benden wine."

P'rad grinned. "From what I gather, the wine is supposed to be exceptionally seasoned this time around. It seems that Lord Lenus had been keeping a secret stash somewhere in the hold that's been aging for quite a few Turns, and he was keeping it until such an occasion as this. Wants the very best for the Master Harper, he said."

Cyric blinked. The words of Master Harper Bannis came to his mind, about how P'rad was able to sift information out of the drudges, and he should pay attention to this skill.

"Dare I ask just how you got that information?" he asked, cautiously.

P'rad rubbed his finger under his nose. "That's for me to know," he said, stabbing an open steamed tuber on his plate with his fork and popping some of the flesh in his mouth. Cyric made a face of disgust.

"How can you eat those things?"

"How can you not?"

"Because they're disgusting, that's why. Never did like them, especially as a child."

"Oh, come on," P'rad chided. "These things are the greatest, especially steamed! Fluffy on the inside, chewy skin on the outside. Put some butter and soft cream on it, and you have yourself a treat!"

"Well, you can have them. My mother used to make us eat them with every meal, and we couldn't have any dessert unless we did. Needless to say, I didn't get too many bubbly pies."

"I'm telling you, Cyric, you don't know what you're missing," P'rad teased, stuffing another piece in his mouth.

"It's _Journeyman_ Cyric, and yes, I believe I do know what I'm missing. It's bad enough the sharding plants grew in abundance where I lived before going to the Harper Hall."

P'rad looked at him, a dawning revelation coming to him. "You know, that's one thing that I haven't found out about you yet," he said.

"What's that?"

"Where did you live before becoming a Journeyman?"

A slow, knowing grin crossed Cyric's face. He leaned towards P'rad.

"That's for me to know," he said, getting up from the table and walked off, leaving P'rad in the realization that his own words were thrown back at him.

I am so sorry that this chapter took so long to upload! So many things kept coming up, that I haven't had time to really touch it. First I turned 29 this past 2nd (happy birthday to me!), plus my Aunt passed away, so that kind of set me back a little. Along with church, work, and at times being lazy it was a little hard to deal with it. This was actually a hard chapter for me to develop, not just because of everything that was going on but because I was trying to decide what to put, and how to put it. Hopefully after this, everything will be easier, but you know how life is. Anyway, let me know what you think about this chapter.


	8. Chapter 8

Thank you all for the support and condolences.  
Disclaimer: All locations belong to Anne and Todd McCaffrey. Characters are mine.

**Chapter 8**

"Well, this is no fun," T'ledeck said, fists on his belt. "I became a dragon rider to flame Thread, not pass out firestone!"

"Be lucky we get to do anything at all this fall, T'ledeck," S'len said, adjusting the bulging firestone sacks on Tanath's sides. "Besides, we aren't fully dragon riders yet. We still have to graduate third phase."

"And at the rate we're going, we'll be lucky to get through the middle of _second_, while all of the weyrlings in the other Weyrs are nearly through with their _third_," said K'don, fanning himself from the heat that began to settle into the bowl now that Spring was coming into full effect, and with it the lush greenery that once dominated the bowl during Winter was quickly vanishing. All that was left were a few patches of yellow grasses that sprouted up from the dry ground in the shadowy edges of the bowl. Threadfall was due any moment over Keroon Bay, not far from their training ground. The weyrlings were going to assist in conveying firestone to the dragon riders that were going to fight Thread. Since they were in Second Phase of dragon rider training, they were not allowed to fight Thread just yet; only Third Phase were allowed to fight, as a test to their skills as true dragon riders. If they can effectively fight Thread with minimum casualties and injuries, they graduate and fully become dragon riders.

The heat of the Igen Weyr environment made progression to that part of the phase slow. Not only was T'nak tasked with constantly finding new areas to train the weyrlings in different ways of being a dragon rider just so they can be in a more comfortable environment for practice, he also had to make sure the spot that they trained was free of obstacles and hazards that could hinder training. Not that the spot near Keroon Bay was bad; he just wanted to train them in different environments they may encounter as they fight Thread. Any obstacle encountered shouldn't be any hindrance to them, considering they were fighting Thread in the air around the areas protected by Igen Weyr, but T'nak was drawing upon Turns of experience of fighting Thread in various places, including an area where the trees were so tall they touched the clouds...or so it seemed to him at the time. Once, during his searches, he found a clearing that would be perfect for training, if it wasn't overrun by large spotted Felines that decided to make their home in the area. Another area was so devoid of life, that even the skeleton trees that dotted the area seemed to droop with sorrow. T'nak didn't bother to stay to find out what happened to that area. So most of the beginning of Second Phase involved T'nak finding suitable places to train, and then training them without anyone getting sick. The jump between from the Weyr would do much to stave off the worst of the heat, but the constant traveling to and from the Weyr through the shocking instant cold of between and back into the heat began to wear on some of the weyrlings' health- especially the ones who were not used to climates like Igen's- so the Weyr Healer would go on some of the training missions to ensure the weyrlings were able to continue their training, but in the last three days before Threadfall, he began to show signs of sickness himself. So it was decided that after Threadfall and the Gather, which was immediately following the next day, they would start planning on what they could do to rectify the problem, and speed up the training. Until then, the weyrlings were to be exposed to as little of the harsh environment as possible.

The weyrlings were content with staying out of the heat; even their dragons stayed inside the barracks, which was starting to become somewhat crowded with the size and rate of the dragons' growth. Plans were already under way to move them to a bigger barracks section, so the next generation of weyrlings could use their current one. Today, however, they had to stay out in the Weyr bowl and wait for the signal to deliver firestone to the fighting wings when they need it. K'don took off his helmet and wiped his forehead with a kerchief.

"Whew! It's hotter than a green dragon in heat on a hot summer day," he breathed, getting odd looks from the green dragon riders. "What?"

"Nothing. Just- nothing," S'len said, waving him off.

P'rad looked down from the Star Stones towards the bowl where the weyrlings were waiting patiently for everything to start. He couldn't hear them, but he could tell they were getting uncomfortable from all of the waiting. Part of him was able to sympathize with them, having been at those points himself before. Excessive and intense heat had a way of messing with peoples' attitude.

"Something wrong?" D'ron asked, looking in the direction he was looking.

"Not really," P'rad responded, not looking at him. "I'll bet they're all quite annoyed right now."

"I don't blame them," D'ron said, facing forward again. "This heat will drive anyone insane. I'm sure everything will be fine as we start fighting Thread."

"As long as their brains aren't worn out from the heat. Can't fight Thread if you're brain dead."

"That's if they were fighting. They're still training."

P'rad grinned. "Yeah, and at the rate they are going they'll be lucky to get to Third Phase still breathing."

_Benden riders have spotted Thread over Keroon's plateaus,_ Korath said, breaking into the conversation.

_Great. Alert the other dragons._

_On it._

"Get ready!" D'ron shouted, loud enough to be heard by the riders. As one, all the dragons turned their heads towards their riders to receive firestone, which they chewed and swallowed into their second stomach.

_They have started!_ Korath said, growing anticipation in his voice. D'ron gave the signal to fly, and all the dragons took wing with a resounding swoosh of wings. D'ron flew to the front of the formation. When they were a good distance away from the Weyr, he gave the signal to go _between_ to fight Thread.

"Well, there they go," T'ledeck said, looking towards the Star Stones as the dragons took wing. "So now we just wait?"

"That's the general idea," S'len said in a disparaging tone, and receiving a glare from T'ledeck. He finagled again with the firestone sacks on Tanath's back.

_They aren't too heavy, are they?_ He asked. Tanath shook herself a little, testing the weight of the sacks.

_I could stand to carry a few more,_ she said. S'len furrowed his eyebrows.

_You already have three big ones on either side of you,_ he said. _We can always come back for more._

"Is anyone else, like, worried that the firestone will explode in this heat?" K'don asked nervously. "Seriously, we shouldn't be out here!"

"They're double sacked, K'don. So calm down," said one of the dark-skinned green riders. "Besides, the sacks are lined with some stuff that keeps them at a decent temperature so they don't explode."

"Pheh! How do you know the stuff will work if the sack touches this hot ground?"

"You want to risk testing that?"

While the other weyrlings bickered with each other about the firestone, James and Goliath stood off to the side away from them. He could tell that the heat was making them irritated, like himself, and he wanted to avoid any kind of altercation with anyone. Goliath had six of the full firestone sacks attached to his sides. He wanted more, but the weyrlings were only allowed to get six, unless directed otherwise.

_Something wrong?_ Goliath asked, turning his head towards James. He sensed James' annoyance, and wanted to calm down his companion. His eyes whirred green with flecks of yellow. James looked at him, noticing the slight urgency in his voice.

_I'm fine,_ he said, petting Goliath affectionately on the nose. _It's just the heat making me and everyone else a little irate._

_I suppose it is a little hot,_ Goliath said, snorting a little. He wasn't as affected by the heat as the other dragons; even then, he still had to pick up his feet from time to time where the hot dirt smarted him. Tanath looked up towards the Star Stones.

_Can we go up there?_ She asked S'len plaintively. _It is really hot down here._

_I don't see why not,_ S'len said, looking towards the cliff. _None of the other dragons are around right now, and we do have to be ready for when they need more firestone._ He climbed onto her back, securing himself in the straps. They took off towards the Star Stones.

_What are they doing?_ Goliath asked, noticing them taking off. James saw them heading towards the Star Stones.

_The same thing we're doing,_ he said, hopping onto Goliath's back. _Come on!_ And they, too, took off towards the Star Stones. Everyone else took notice, and mounted their dragons and took for the Star Stones as well, knowing it would be cooler there than on the ground.

The Igen dragons appeared over Keroon Bay just as the Benden riders, led by the Wing Leader, bronze rider G'ralt, began their assault. Taking a quick glance at the Benden ranks, D'ron could tell that some of them were only a few Threadfalls old, not long into being full dragon riders. The Benden numbers were somewhat disheartening, to say the least; a full five hundred or more fighters with about sixteen queens in the Queen's Wing, all fully grown, as compared to Igen's two-hundred eighty, and one able queen. D'ron looked down at his Weyrmate in the Queens Wing, barely able to make her out amongst the other queens as they began flaming the Thread that made it past the fighters. Of course, not all of the Benden riders were there, most notably the green and blue dragon riders for rotation and replacement purposes, so the number, while still staggering, was a bit less.

Pushing those thoughts aside, he gave the signal to engage in battle. The Igen riders kept in formation; greens on the bottom, blues between them and the browns, and so forth up to the bronzes, who were the first to engage in the fight. Unlike Benden, who had enough riders to rotate their greens and blues when needed due to their lack of stamina, Igen needed all of the dragons to fight Threadfall each time they went, so through constant practice and fights their greens' and blues' stamina lasted a little longer than Benden's before they tired out and had to rest before joining the battle again. D'ron couldn't wait until the weyrlings became full dragon riders. That way, at least some of his Wing could take rest periods.

_Look alive, Korath,_ D'ron said as they dodged a strand of Thread. One of the browns below them picked it off with a burst of flame.

_You're telling me,_ Korath responded, searing an oncoming strand. _I am starting to run out of fire._

_I'm down to two bags, but we can manage a little more before we need some more firestone,_ D'ron said, reaching into one of the sacks and fishing out a good sized stone. Korath quickly turned his head towards D'ron to receive the stone, chewed, and swallowed, just in time to burn another strand of Thread coming towards them.

_Hith says his rider is down to half a sack,_ Korath said, still flaming.

_Who's on watch at the Weyr now?_

Korath went silent for a second. _Berth,_ he said. _He says the weyrlings have moved up to the Star Stones. The ground in the bowl is too hot._

_Makes sense,_ D'ron said. He and Korath went _between_ to dodge a clump of Thread headed towards them, and came out to flame more. _Have him send the weyrlings out to start distributing firestone sacks._

"So how are we supposed to know when they need us?" K'don asked. "I don't suppose they'll whistle for us."

"I'm sure they planned this out," T'ledeck said. He looked around, noticing the two gold riders weren't with them. "Where's Liriel and Kadellin?"

"Down there," S'len pointed towards the far end of the bowl, to a shady spot near the lake. The two golds, Ariath and Serath, were sitting in the shade while their riders helped fill sacks with firestone for refills when the weyrlings came back for more.

"Now, why aren't they up here?" T'ledeck asked, slightly annoyed. "We have enough workers to fill the sacks! They could help with passing them out!"

"Well, that's not the only thing they're doing there," S'len said. "They also have to learn how to tend to Threadscored dragons and riders, until they can go fight themselves. Besides, Ariath and Serath are too big now to maneuver out of the way quickly enough after they give the sacks away, which might be dangerous to them and the other dragons."

T'ledeck looked at S'len, cocking an eyebrow. "And just how do you know so much about all of this?"

S'len smiled broadly. "I actually paid attention in class, unlike you."

James continued listening to them bicker, glad that, for once, he was not the center of a conversation. He did notice that S'len had been somewhat distant from him over the past few days. He still talked to James, but not as much as when they first Impressed their dragons. James was alright with that, but he didn't mean to isolate the boy from him; he just wanted to keep S'len from pestering so much. He looked at the other weyrlings, noticing for the first time how young some of them were. Of the twenty-three that Impressed a dragon, he was by far the oldest of them all, having turned twenty-three at the beginning of the Turn. Not knowing what his actual Turn-day was, he just set it at the first day of the first month. Most were just barely past fifteen, and it would be another Turn before they would be considered mature enough to even fly a fighting wing; others, like Kadellin and Liriel, had just turned seventeen. S'len himself was the next oldest, set to turn eighteen in the next few months.

_So young,_ he thought. _Seems like some of them are just breaking out of their own shells._

"Hoy there, weyrlings!" someone called from above them. Everyone looked up towards the dragon heights. The blue watch dragon's rider was standing there waving his hands and calling to them. "D'ron's wing need firestone! Start flying over there and hand it out!"

"Sure thing, blue dragon rider!" S'len called back. "Um...where are they, exactly? The Weyrling Master didn't bother to tell us."

"They're flying over Keroon Bay, in that direction!" The blue dragon rider pointed towards the southeast, where he knew Keroon Bay was. "I'll have Berth give your dragons the exact location!"

"Thank you!"

_Trust S'len to take charge when given the opportunity,_ James thought as he and everyone else mounted onto their dragons. _Then again, someone has to, when the Weyrling Master isn't around._

_You are not doing anything, _Goliath said.

_Who am I to take charge of anything?_

_You make a better leader._

_I've never led anything before. It doesn't really matter at the moment anyway, since we're all weyrlings. You have the location?_

_Yes._

_Let's go!_

Ignoring S'len's attempt to give the fly signal, all the dragons lifted from the Star Stones and went between to Keroon bay. James was finding it easier to ignore the pulling feeling of _between_; he could still feel it, as strong as ever, but he was able to bear it as long as he steeled his mind. Goliath's mind was with him, which made things easier. One of these days, he told himself, he was going to explore this area, and find out what this familiar feeling was. The weyrlings emerged out of _between_ a good distance from the battle, which had reached the plains just passed Keroon Hold, and was heading towards the mountain range, where it was bound to come to a halt. They flew towards the battle, with an admonishing by Madith from T'nak, who happened to notice them, to not get Threadscored or they'll do mount drills for Turns! Only T'nak could still be as hard and controlling of the weyrlings, even in the heat of battle. The weyrlings were directed to each dragon rider that needed firestone by way of the dragons communicating with each other. T'nak had drilled them, through practical application, on how to pass out firestone sacks in mid combat, should the need arise. Due to their small numbers the need was constant, despite help from other Weyrs.

As they passed out the sacks, the weyrlings witnessed several times the fighting dragons, mostly Benden Weyr's, getting scored and going _between_ to freeze off the parasite. Those with only minor scoring came back from _between_ still ready to fight, unless they were scored on their wings, in which they had to go back to the Weyr. Some were scored pretty badly, including their rider, and had to immediately go _between_ back to the Weyr to get treatment, and were replaced by another dragon to continue fighting. The Igen fighters were still pretty fit, with minor scorings here and there, but nothing too life threatening. Some of the greens and blues would leave for a few minutes to get a second wind because of their low stamina, but came back into battle moments later; the browns and bronzes lasted far longer before any of them had to stop to regain their energy.

T'ledeck, who before was ready and quite willing to fight Thread when given the chance, became quite frightened when he saw how bad some of the dragons and their riders got scored. He nearly ran from the battle, if not for T'nak appearing out of nowhere, telling him his punishment would be far worse than what Thread could do to him if he doesn't stop bumbling like a baby. James noticed a Threadscore scar on D'ron's left cheek as he passed a firestone sack to him, and briefly wondered if the scar went any deeper than it looked.

_Korath says D'ron is okay,_ Goliath said, answering the hidden question.

_I really wish you wouldn't do that,_ James said, slightly annoyed.

_Do what?_

_Answer rhetorical questions. I know he'll be okay, I was just wondering about the scar, if it goes any deeper._

_Want me to ask?_

_Don't worry about it. I'll find out later._

They weaved through Thread towards a brown rider, giving him their last sack before having to return to the Weyr for more. As he flew into the Weyr bowl towards the shady spot where the two gold dragons were with their riders and the firestone sacks, he noticed a blue rider taking off again, the dragon's sides loaded with firestone sacks. There were scars on its tail where Thread was able to get him before he and his rider went_ between_. As quickly as they could, some of the female workers, including Kadellin and Liriel, bandaged the scores while others loaded the blue with firestone sacks before they took off again. James checked Goliath all over before helping to load more firestone sacks onto him. Amazingly, there wasn't a scratch or burrow on him. He hopped back onto Goliath, and in moments they were in the air again, going_ between_ to help in the rest of the battle.

Thread was finally chased over the hard rocks of the mountains where they would no longer pose a threat to anyone or any vegetation. Aside from some of the dragons and riders getting scored- some minor, others a little more grievous but not life threatening- spirits were high, since the Gather was tomorrow. There was an air of exhilaration among the weyrlings especially, after experiencing their first Threadfall, despite not flaming anything. It was just as much of a rush just being in the midst of the battle. Two of the weyrlings and their dragons did not escape harm- the blue dragon that James saw earlier, and a brown rider that got scored on his hand. They were promptly chastised by T'nak for being careless. Nevertheless, the wounds were superficial at best, and the blue dragon would not get hindered in flight from his tail. After being seen and bandaged by the Weyr Healer the riders went to the dining caverns for dinner, while their dragons flew off towards the feeding grounds with the rest of the growing dragons to feed. The dragons were at the point where they were able to feed themselves, much to the relief of many of the weyrlings, since they wouldn't have to forgo some kind of nourishment for themselves at times to help feed the ravenous beasts.

Inside the dining caverns, everyone was talking and laughing amongst themselves. Most of the conversations were about the Gather at Benden Hold tomorrow evening, which Kadellin grandly boasted about. There were a few jeers thrown at her from some of the other weyrlings, which made her boast all the more. Liriel tried to help bolster her friend's boasting, but her having never been to Benden Hold couldn't do much to help the issue. James, sitting at a table by himself towards a corner of the cavern, listened to their rantings. He lightly sipped on his mug of fruit juice, content with not having the two gold riders fire barrages of questions at him, which they have done non-stop for days. Why they kept doing this, he didn't know. Admittedly, some of the questions were a little interesting; Liriel asked him a question that her little sister wanted to ask him, but was too shy to do so. Something about the dragons telling her that he smelled spicy, according to her. It wasn't really the question that interested him; it was the fact that the little girl, all but four Turns old, was able to hear dragons speaking to her. James, himself, only knew little about this ability among certain people, but he wondered if the Weyrleaders knew that their youngest daughter was able to do this. Also, like everyone else, he wondered how the Weyrwoman could have had a child four Turns ago with a frail body like hers. Not that she wasn't too old to have children; her frail body frame just gave people the wrong assumption about her age. She used it to her advantage at times to tease people. But then again, according to P'rad, she'd always been on the petite side, even in her younger days.

He was glad to have the corner table to himself, and as he chewed on a piece of cured roast, he listened to Goliath in the feeding grounds as he and the other dragons made their kills.

_That one is mine!_ Goliath said suddenly, as he made a rush for his intended target.

_Don't overstuff yourself,_ James warned, an amused smile on his face.

_Why not?_

_Because instead of becoming strong like you're supposed to, you'll be very sluggish when you have to fly._

_Well, I only have room for two more bucks, at the most. I can still move fast._

Journeyman Cyric idly tuned his gitar on an upper raft, looking down at the weyrlings. He was wondering how best to approach James, sitting in the corner by himself. Granted, it was an opportunity to actually interact with him, but he didn't want to come off as too strong, or ask him any questions he's already been asked by Kadellin and Liriel. Those two girls were impossible at times!

"You wait too long, and dinner will be over with," said P'rad, coming up behind him. "There aren't too many opportunities to talk to any of the weyrlings when T'nak has their ear."

"Speaking of which, what's his problem anyway?" Cyric asked, still plucking at his gitar and sparing P'rad a quick glance over his shoulder. "I mean, why is he always so mean and militant towards the weyrlings?"

"Oh, he's always been like that," P'rad said, dismissively. "even before he became a dragon rider. His life was quite harsh...well, considering that he grew up handling herdbeasts and crops, anyway. From what any of us were told by some of the older riders who have passed away, he was Searched when he was thirteen Turns old."

"Oh wow."

"Yeah. His father was quite livid, too. Tried to drive the Search dragons and their riders away with a pitchfork, they said. He didn't want his oldest, and hardest worker at that, to leave."

Cyric grinned, imagining an older man in farmer's clothes and a long white beard poking a pitchfork at a dragon. "His father didn't care much for dragon riders?" he asked.

"Apparently not. He considered us all lazy, good-for-nothing brutes riding overgrown tunnel snakes, who didn't know how to farm a crop if our lives depended on it, and on and on about wasting good crops and herdbeasts for tithes, and whatnot...it was exasperating to hear, I assure you."

"I can imagine. Well, obviously he went with the Search dragons, since he's here. You'd think after fifty Turns, he would calm down. Guess old habits don't die very easily."

"Well, during his time as a dragon rider, I'm sure he's had his fair share of seeing his fellow dragon riders of his time Threadscored either very badly, or died from the wounds. After all of that, he'd have a solid reason to request to become a Weyrling Master, just so he could see to it that the next generations don't lose anyone. That explains his way of speech and actions."

"Well, I personally don't think it's much of an excuse. But then again, I've never been a dragon rider before, so I can't empathize with what he felt, neither can I fault him." He looked down at James. "I'd better get down there before someone gets the bright idea to steal his ear before I can get to him." He stood up from the table and slung his gitar across his back.

"You want me to hold that for you?" P'rad asked, holding out his hand.

"No thanks," Cyric held up his hand, with an apologetic look on his face. "Forgive me, but I'm a little particular on anyone touching my gitar. You wouldn't believe how long it took me to make this thing the way I wanted it."

"I probably do more than you think," P'rad said, grinning. Cyric lifted an eyebrow. "Better get down there before you miss your opportunity."

James jerked his head up at the mention of his name, his concentration on listening to Goliath momentarily broken. A tan-skinned man with short dark hair with a Journeyman's knot tied about the shoulder of his brown shirt and a gourd shaped gitar slung across his back came towards him. He'd seen the Journeyman Harper a few times about the Weyr bowl, teaching classes and playing music throughout the days. What business did he have with a weyrling, James wondered.

"Hello, James," The Journeyman greeted, sticking his hand out towards James. James stood up and clasped the man's wrist in a firm grip.

"...Journeyman," he said, not all too sure of how to address him. Cyric's eyes widened a little at the firmness of James' grip. By the Egg, he was as strong as a burdenbeast! No wonder he was able to punch through that egg!

"Journeyman Cyric. It is indeed a pleasure to make your acquaintance. May I sit here?"

"Please do, and the pleasure is all mine, I assure you." They both sat down, nearly at the same time.

"Um...to what do I owe this visit?" James asked, trying not to sound too formal.

"None at all, young James. I would just like to ask you a few questions, if I may."

"Sure, go right ahead."

"First off, why are you sitting here in the corner by yourself?"

James tried to form an excuse for the seclusion, but a loud exclamation and a burst of laughter from the other weyrlings distracted him. Cyric turned towards the table where the noise originated from, a slight look of dismay on his face.

"Never mind that, I totally understand," he said, turning back to James. The conversation lasted for a good fifteen minutes. Cyric asked James about his time as a drudge, how it felt to be a dragon rider, his time at Telgar Weyr, among other questions, some of which James was asked before. As usual, he left out his experience in _between_. Because he didn't fully understand what was going on every time he went _between_, he'd rather that nobody knew about it. James didn't have an answer concerning Goliath's color, or the hardness of the egg shell. He just wanted to help the dragon out of there, not really too concerned about Impressing, but was glad he did. Goliath's color was an entirely different issue.

It occurred to Cyric later that night as he wrote his report for the Master Harper that James seemed to leave out something during the questionnaire. His Harper trained ears caught the uncertain tones in James' voice when asked certain questions. But he also felt something about James that had entirely nothing to do with his Harper training. It felt sort of...distant. Perhaps it was because James was a little nervous from being in the presence of a Journeyman Harper, or perhaps something else. Might have been nothing, could have been something. It wasn't really something to ponder much about, though. Finishing his report, Cyric stretched the paper under the candlelight he'd been using to write with so the ink could dry, stood up from his stool and made his way to his bed, stretching the whole way from being bent almost double over his sheets as he wrote on them.

_I have to get me a sand table,_ he thought as he settled into the rushes. _At least with it, I don't have to strain my back just to write._

**Benden Hold Gather, Evening **

Benden Hold's courtyard was a sight to behold. The usually tranquil area was teeming with carts, stands, and tables, all set up for people to sell their wares, and even trade marks for quality craftsmanship items, be it music instruments, cloth, boots, anything that was worthy of being sold or traded, it was there. Glow baskets were set up everywhere, lighting up the entire area as the sun began its descent behind the distant mountain range. In the middle of the trade stands there was a large clearing where tables and chairs were set up in a big square, and at the front of the square there was a 3-foot tall stage with a few stools set up for musicians to play music. The middle of the square was designated for people who wanted to dance with the music, and was big enough for more than enough people. Along one side of the square, there was a large spread of food ready for the evening festivities and dining. Wherry roast, steaming meats, tubers, varieties of baked breads, soft cheese, quality wines, and even bubbly pies were heaped on the four tables that were lined together to hold it all. In another area, a little ways from the trade stands, were open tents for people to relax on soft chairs and couches, able to enjoy the music and a nice, cool evening breeze. People were already there, lounging about on the couches, sipping on fizzy fruit juice and wine, and catching up on the latest gossip, while others were at the trade stands, bartering for any goods they could use. The Master Harper of Pern was already there as well, conversing with the Lord of Benden Hold, Lord Lenus. A few of the musicians from the Harper Hall were there as well, minus Journeyman Cyric, who was on the way from Igen Weyr. As evening began to settle among Benden Hold, more people began filing in through the elaborated gate entrance at the front of the clearance. Dragons began appearing in the field on the outside, dropping off their riders and flying off towards the lake in the high range mountains behind Benden Hold. There were mostly the major Weyrs from the surrounding areas: Benden, Ista, Telgar, Igen, and Fort. The Igen weyrling dragons were strong enough to make the jump as far as Benden, so the weyrlings were all excited to go, especially Kadellin, because she would be able to see her parents again. Journeyman Cyric came in on the back of Kilith with P'rad, James on Goliath flying in beside them.

"...yeah, Fort's Gathers were okay, but I wouldn't put them much on a high enough grade," P'rad was saying to James as they came out of _between_ above the low cliffs beyond the Gather. "What were the Gathers like at Lemos?"

"They were nice," James said with a shrug. "I just didn't bother with them too much."

"Lord Trisel let you attend them, didn't he?" Cyric asked.

"Of course he let us go to them, after the work was done, anyway. 'The laborer is worthy of his hire', he'd always say."

"What does that mean?" P'rad asked, a slight perplexed look on his face.

"Not too sure myself. I never bothered to ask him."

P'rad shrugged, and looked down at the Gather as they approached it. "Great stars, I thought this was a Gather, not a Festival!"

"The gold rider, Kadellin, did say it was going to be special this Turn," Cyric said, grinning at P'rad's surprise. "I've had word sent to me that this Gather was going to be in combination with the Festival, since they both fell on the same day."

"That makes more sense," P'rad said, thoughtfully.

The two dragons circled down towards the field beyond the entrance, giving each other enough room to drop off their riders, and to not disrupt the flow of people as they entered in through the gate archway. James, P'rad, and Cyric dismounted the dragons, who immediately took off towards the cliffs, Goliath tailing behind after Kilith told him about a large lake in the mountain range beyond the Hold. The three removed their flying helmets, and fell into the crowd of people as they passed through the archway into the Gather area. James looked around at the large area, his breath slightly taken from the sheer size of the courtyard, slightly bigger than Lemos Hold's courtyard. There was so much to do at this Gather, he wasn't too sure where to begin, or how to begin for that matter. Even after four Turns with Lemos Gathers there was still so much that he had to learn about them.

"Ooohhh, yeah," P'rad said, closing his eyes and sniffing at the air. "The smell of bubbly pies just fill my nostrils! Freshly baked, too. C'mon!" He quickly led the way through the crowds towards the dance square, James and Cyric following at a slower pace.

"He can never get enough of those things," Cyric said with a chuckle. "You ever had one, James?"

"...can't say that I have," James said, still a little nervous about being in the Journeyman's constant company. Since their conversation yesterday, it seemed to James that the Journeyman had made it a point to linger around him quite often, as if P'rad wasn't enough. Not that he minded their company; he did find it somewhat refreshing to talk to someone that was closer to his age. Cyric gave him a quizzical look.

"There weren't any at Lemos Hold?"

"Not that I can remember."

"Then you should try one, before P'rad eats them all-"

"May I take your riding gear, please?" asked a small voice next to James' elbow, startling him. He turned to see a boy that looked to be no more than ten Turns old dressed in coveralls and holding his hands out, expecting the garments. James blinked in confusion, still not used to having dragon rider privileges, despite being a weyrling. Cyric, of course, had no such worries as he shed off the jacket and thick pants, and deposited them in the young drudge's hands along with the helmet, with a thanks. The drudge turned towards James, who was having a little nostalgia from his Turns at Lemos as he reluctantly took off the jacket and pants, revealing the long-sleeve cotton knit white shirt that fit his form perfectly and showed his muscular physique, coal-black trousers with matching belt, and black, soft leather boots. He gave the garments and the riding helmet to the awaiting drudge, who took them towards an area on the far side of the large courtyard that housed the gear.

"I've been meaning to ask, where did you get those clothes?" Cyric asked. "They don't look normal."

James looked at himself and then at Cyric's Journeyman Harper clothes, trying to figure out what he considered "normal". Then again, he did have a point, considering what he had on as compared to everyone else. While most people dressed in tunics, leather pants, and flowing shirts, most of his clothes consisted of items that didn't really look Pernese at all; then again, he'd already had his pants and boots far before Telgar Hold. As to why the shirt felt familiar to him when he put it on, he was not sure. He was about to try to offer an explanation when P'rad called their names.

"Hey, you two need to hurry up, before there's no more food left," he said, sauntering up to them with a tray loaded down with food and six bubbly pies. He had long since discarded of his riding gear, and was now in his brown leather trousers, dark brown boots that buckled around his lower shins, and a black short sleeve shirt.

"That's what you call Gather clothes?" Cyric asked him, incredulously. P'rad looked himself over.

"What?" he asked. "It's hot out, so I wanted to wear something comfortable. Besides, I heard there may be dancing later, so it's a good thing I wore this."

"After eating those bubbly pies, you'll probably have a dance in the latrine!" Cyric and James followed P'rad back to the dance square and to one of the tables in a corner.

"Don't worry about that, I'll just balance it out with this!" P'rad held up a hot tuber and bit into it. Cyric made a disgusted face.

"You and those blasted tubers! I'm surprised you haven't turned into one yet."

"And the moment I do, I'll be sure to plant tuber seeds all around your room," P'rad said, taking a sip of his fruit juice. Cyric rolled his eyes.

"Well, at least you don't look like S'len over there," he said, pointing to a table where S'len and a few other weyrlings from different Weyrs were talking and laughing. P'rad nearly spit up his drink as he tried not to laugh at S'len's choice of clothes; a green hat with the tip flopping down behind his blonde head, matching green tunic with gold edgings, light green leggings tucked into brown leather boots, and what looked like brown wherhide gauntlets on his wrists. Even his long-sleeve undershirt was a pale green color.

"What is this, match-your-dragon's-hide night?" P'rad asked in an amused tone. He got up from the table and made his way towards the group. "All he needs now is a sword so he can go fight trundlebugs!"

"Where are you going?" Cyric called after him.

"I just have to say something!" P'rad said, amusement playing in his eyes. "This opportunity cannot be passed up! Watch my food."

"That's a very eccentric individual," Cyric said, shaking his head as he watched P'rad tease S'len about his clothes. He turned towards James, who was sitting quietly and listening to the whole conversation with a grin.

"What?"

"Nothing," James said, still grinning. Cyric gave him a quizzical look.

"Listen, James, I have to go find the Master Harper and talk to him," he said, rising. "Try to relax, eat some food. Mingle with some of the weyrlings here and talk to them. Wouldn't do any good for you to sit by yourself the whole time, without any interaction."

"Um...sure," James said as Cyric weaved through the gathering crowd of people. James looked around at everyone. Most seemed to be preoccupied with talking with each other than to pay him any mind. He wasn't afraid to talk to anyone, but he much preferred to talk to people he knew. He didn't see Kadellin or Liriel anywhere, though he figured Kadellin may be with her parents, and Liriel with hers. Somehow, he wouldn't have minded their company at that moment, despite their questions.

_Well, just sitting here won't do me any good,_ he thought. _Might as well get something to eat._

He got up and crossed over to the food tables. It truly was a magnificent spread, and only then did he realize just how hungry he was when the smell of the food hit him. Grabbing a silver tray, he began piling on food: roast, sweet bread, venison, even some of the tubers that P'rad liked, along with some soft cream and butter. He suddenly stopped and looked around, aware of how undisciplined he was acting with the food. He looked around, expecting someone to berate him for taking so much food, but no one was really paying him any mind. Indeed, others that were at the tables were doing much the same thing. Shrugging, he went back to getting more food.

It was while he was reaching for a roasted wherry leg without looking that his hand suddenly covered another person's that was going for the same piece. He quickly jerked his hand back, ready to apologize profusely to the person, but when he turned towards them, he balked at the sight before him. James had an impression of a woman with long, dark hair framing a face with coal black eyes that slanted slightly inward, thin eyebrows, a small nose, and nice lips. Her skin was light, yet had a bit of a yellow tinge to it. When she spoke, her voice was strong, yet sweet.

"I'm sorry, were you going for this piece?" she asked with a bit of a laugh.

It took a few tries for James to make his mouth work properly. "Oh, n-no. I should apologize. I didn't see you," he said in a rush.

She smiled genuinely at him. "Well, I do tend to blend in with my surroundings quite well with this dress." She fanned out the light blue one-piece dress that stopped just below her knees, and was adorned with shiny blue stones in a whispy pattern all around the midriff. She was a little shorter than him, so the top of her cleavage was visible where the neck was squared off. Her blue strap sandals matched her completely.

It took James a second to realize that she was being facetious, and he had to chuckle slightly to avoid any kind of awkwardness, assuming he didn't feel awkward already.

"You seem pretty new around here. How long have you been a dragon rider?" She referred to the weyrling knot on his shoulder, done in the style of one that was in their Second Phase of training.

"Um...since the end of the eleventh month. I'm still getting used to being one."

"And from Igen Weyr, judging by the colors of your knot. What hold were you Searched from?"

At this, James blinked. Even after D'ron explained to him what being Searched meant, he still didn't understand it.

"I...wasn't Searched. I was a drudge at Lemos Hold for a while, before I was picked to assist the hatching at Igen Weyr. That's when I Impressed Goliath."

Her face registered genuine surprise. "A drudge? Really? Interesting..." She turned her head towards a table on the far end of the square, where a younger man that looked almost identical to her, James noticed, was glowering at them.

"I'd better get back to my brother's table, before he comes over here. You can have that wherry leg, as good as it looks..."

James turned towards the coveted leg and plucked it off. He set it on her considerably high piled tray and grinned.

"Enjoy," he said.

"Well, thank you," she said, returning the grin.

"Since we haven't formally greeted each other, aside from an awkward moment that I haven't gotten a chance to apologize for yet," said James, causing her to giggle. "my name is James, and I apologize for grabbing your hand. Pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"My name is Xiuha, and the pleasure is all mine," Xiuha said, laughing. She looked to see her brother starting to rise. "Aw, shells. My brother is getting into his protective mode again. It was nice meeting you." She turned and made a brisk pace for the table. James stared after her, not knowing what to think of the conversation he just had. Nice girl, for sure; from the knot on her shoulder she was somewhere in her Third Phase of weyrling training. He wasn't sure of what Weyr she was from; he was only familiar with two of them. Someone behind him cleared their throat, and, apologizing, moved away from them. Grabbing a bubbly pie, for sure either P'rad or Journeyman Cyric will ask if he's had at least one, he made his way back to his table.

_I like her,_ Goliath said. _Her voice is velvety._

_Who asked you?_ James said, trying not to grin.

_You like her too._

_Whatever._

Finally done with this chapter. Took me long enough. Too many things were happening at once, so I was only able to get to it when I can. This one is pretty long, so it did take me more time to plot things out. Wonder if someone got the Zelda reference with S'len's clothes. Seems so appropriate in this world. Thanks for the reviews, but please read all of the chapters together before you start making assumptions about me taking things out of context, or whatever. I know I have typos in some of my previous chapters, but there is nothing I can do about them now. Not that I mind constructive criticism, mind you. I'm improving as I go along. I'm trying to write another story as well; it's in its early stages, so the first chapter is in development. I have the plot, it's just getting it all down. This story is turning out longer than I thought. Hope you enjoy this chapter.


End file.
